Submarine glacial landforms and interactions with volcanism around Sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Picard, K.; Watson, S. J.; Fox, J. M.; Post, A.; Whittaker, J. M.; Lucieer, V.; Carey, R.; Coffin, M. F.; Hodgson, D.; Hogan, K.; Graham, A. G. C.

2017-12-01

Unravelling the glacial history of Sub-Antarctic islands can provide clues to past climate and Antarctic ice sheet stability. The glacial history of many sub-Antarctic islands is poorly understood, including the Heard and McDonald Islands (HIMI) located on the Kerguelen Plateau in the southern Indian Ocean. The geomorphologic development of HIMI has involved a combination of construction via hotspot volcanism and mechanical erosion caused by waves, weather, and glaciers. Today, the 2.5 km2 McDonald Islands are not glacierised; in contrast, the 368 km2 Heard Island has 12 major glaciers, some extending from the summit of 2813 m to sea level. Historical accounts from Heard Island suggest that the glaciers were more extensive in the 1850s to 1870s, and have retreated at least 12% (33.89 km2) since 1997. However, surrounding bathymetry suggests a much more extensive previous glaciation of the HIMI region that encompassed 9,585 km2, likely dating back at least to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ca. 26.5 -19 ka. We present analyses of multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, acquired aboard RV Investigator in early 2016, that support the previous existence of an extensive icecap. These data reveal widespread ice-marginal and subglacial features including moraines, over-deepened troughs, drumlins and crag-and-tails. Glacial landforms suggest paleo-ice flow directions and a glacial extent that are consistent with previously documented broad scale morphological features. We identify >660 iceberg keel scours in water depths ranging from 150 - 530 m. The orientations of the iceberg keel scours reflect the predominantly east-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current and westerly winds in the region. 40Ar/39Ar dating of volcanic rocks from submarine volcanoes around McDonald Islands suggests that volcanism and glaciation coincided. The flat-topped morphology of these volcanoes may result from lava-ice interaction or erosion by glaciers post eruption during a time of extensive ice

Subaqueous volcanism in the Etnean area: evidence for hydromagmatic activity and regional uplift inferred from the Castle Rock of Acicastello

Science.gov (United States)

Corsaro, R. A.; Cristofolini, R.

2000-01-01

The subalkaline rocks outcropping at the Acicastello Castle Rock, Catania, Sicily, and on its abrasion platforms, are related to the oldest Etnean volcanism (500-300 ka; [Gillot, P.Y., Kieffer, G., Romano, R., 1994. The evolution of Mount Etna in the light of potassium-argon dating. Acta Vulcanol. 5, 81-87.]). Here, submarine lavas with pillows closely packed onto each other are associated with heterogeneous and poorly sorted volcaniclastic breccia levels with sub-vertical sharp boundaries. The present-day attitude was previously interpreted as due to a local tilt [Di Re, M., 1963. Hyaloclastites and pillow-lavas of Acicastello (Mt. Etna). Bull. Volcanol. 25, 281-284.; Kieffer, G., 1985. Evolution structurale et dynamique d'un grand volcan polygenique: stades d'edification et activitè actuelle de l'Etna (Sicile). Clermont Ferrand IIDoctorat Etat Tesi, Clermont Ferrand II.], or to the seaward sliding of the entire eastern Etnean flank [Borgia, A., Ferrari, L., Pasquarè, G., 1992. Importance of gravitational spreading in the tectonic and volcanic evolution of Mount Etna. Nature 357, 231-235.], on the assumption of originally horizontal boundaries. On the contrary, our observations do not match the hypothesis of a significantly tilted succession and lead us to conclude that, apart from the strong regional uplift, the present Castle Rock exposure did not suffer any substantial change of its attitude.

K-Ar age of the Tertiary volcanic rocks in the Tohoku area, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konda, Tadashi; Ueda, Yoshio.

1980-01-01

The absolute age of the Tertiary volcanic rocks in Tohoku area has been estimated by K-Ar method. The results are: (1) in case of the volcanic rocks of Monzen-Aikawa stage, 32.8 - 38.5 m.y.B.P., (2) in case of the volcanic rocks of Nozaki-Daijima stage, 22.0 - 25.1 m.y.B.P., (3) in case of the volcanic rocks of Nishikurosawa stage, 15.5 - 16.5 m.y.B.P., (4) in case of the volcanic rocks of Onnagawa stage, 12.6 - 14.8 m.y.B.P., (5) in case of the volcanic rocks of Funakawa stage, 9.6 - 11.3 m.y.B.P., and (6) in case of the volcanic rocks of Kitaura stage, 6.9 - 9.0 m.y.B.P. The samples used are such as biotite and whole rocks. The eruption periods in Tertiary volcanic activities presumed by K-Ar method are geologically significant. In the measurements made on the same system of samples under same conditions, there was difference in the K-Ar ages between the Monzen-Aikawa and the Nozaki-Daijima stages, and it was significantly noteworthy. It is indicated that the volcanic rock activities in the former stage had took place before those in the latter stage. In the Tohoku arc of northern Japan, the simultaneity in initial volcanic activities is not seen in the direction across the arc. (J.P.N.)

Serreta 1998-2001 submarine volcanic eruption, offshore Terceira (Azores): Characterization of the vent and inferences about the eruptive dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Casas, David; Pimentel, Adriano; Pacheco, José; Martorelli, Eleonora; Sposato, Andrea; Ercilla, Gemma; Alonso, Belen; Chiocci, Francesco

2018-05-01

High-resolution bathymetric data and seafloor sampling were used to characterize the most recent volcanic eruption in the Azores region, the 1998-2001 Serreta submarine eruption. The vent of the eruption is proposed to be an asymmetric topographic high, composed of two coalescing volcanic cones, underlying the location where lava balloons had been observed at the sea surface during the eruption. The volcanic products related to the 1998-2001 eruption are constrained to an area of 0.5 km2 around the proposed vent position. A submarine Strombolian-style eruption producing basaltic lava balloons, ash and coarse scoriaceous materials with limited lateral dispersion led to the buildup of the cones. The 1998-2001 Serreta eruption shares many similarities with other intermediate-depth lava balloon-forming eruptions (e.g., the 1891 eruption offshore Pantelleria and the 2011-2012 eruption south of El Hierro), revealing the particular conditions needed for the production of this unusual and scarcely documented volcanic product.

Petrology and geochronology of metamorphosed volcanic rocks and a middle Cretaceous volcanic neck in the east-central Sierra Nevada, California.

Science.gov (United States)

Kistler, R.W.; Swanson, S.E.

1981-01-01

Metamorphosed Mesozoic volcanic rocks from the E-central Sierra Nevada range in composition from basalt to rhyolite and have ages, based on whole rock Rb-Sr and U-Pb zircon dating, of about 237- 224, 185, 163, 134, and 100Ma. The major plutons of the batholith in this area are of Triassic (215-200Ma) and Cretaceous (94-80Ma) ages. Initial 87Sr/86Sr values for the metamorphosed volcanic rocks of the area are in the range from 0.7042 to 0.7058 and are generally different from the values for the surrounding batholithic rocks (0.7056-0.7066). A circular, zoned granitic pluton, with an outcrop area of 2.5km2, similar in appearance to a ring dike complex, was apparently a conduit for some or possibly all of the middle-Cretaceous metamorphosed volcanic rocks exposed about 5km to the S in the western part of the Ritter Range. Samples from the metamorphosed volcanic rocks and the pluton yield a Rb/Sr whole rock isochron age of 99.9+ or -2.2Ma with an intitial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7048+ or -0.00001. Major element variation diagrams of the pluton and volcanic rocks define coincident compositional trends. The ages of volcanic events relative to the ages of the major intrusive epochs and the major element and isotopic compositions of the volcanic rocks relative to the major plutons indicate that the volcanic rocks are not simply or directly related to the major plutons in the Sierra Nevada. -from Authors

Submarine Volcanology: 1950 to 2050 and Beyond (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Delaney, J. R.; Kelley, D. S.

2010-12-01

The vigorous pursuit of submarine volcanism as a major field emerged in the mid 1900’s with the post WWII recognition that there is a Mid-Ocean Ridge System that is a 70,000 km long volcanic mountain chain stretching around the world like the strings on a baseball. By the mid 1960’s it emerged that rocks from volcanic feature were consistently basaltic in character and that they were the direct result of major melting processes associated with rise of much deeper mantle material beneath the spreading ridges in a global plate tectonics framework. More than 60% of the volcanism on the planet occurs in submarine environments. The next major discovery, using the deep diving submarine ALVIN, was in the late 1970’s involving hydrothermal systems near active ridges close to the Galapagos Islands and Baja California. The idea that these vent sites were the locus of major biological productivity based on volcanically-driven chemosynthesis was a fundamental new insight in the deep ocean ecology of our planet. This was a major planetological discovery and was followed within about 15 years with an even more powerful realization: our planet has a vast sub seafloor microbial biosphere thriving in the pores and the cracks of the oceanic crust driven by circulation of modified ocean fluids through large portions of the lithosphere. These organisms are largely supported by degassing and water-rock reactions associated with submarine volcanoes. Some estimates have posited that: 1) these thermally active systems and the chemosynthetic lifestyle are a natural consequence of certain types of planetary evolution, 2) that life may have originated in these systems, and, 3) that the biomass associated with the modern sub seafloor systems rivals most other living carbon on the continents. Indeed, parallel exploration of the outer solar system has lead to propositions that the second moon of Jupiter, Europa, has (or had) a high potential to harbor analogous hydrothermal life forms

Permeability of volcanic rocks to gas and water

Science.gov (United States)

Heap, M. J.; Reuschlé, T.; Farquharson, J. I.; Baud, P.

2018-04-01

The phase (gas or liquid) of the fluids within a porous volcanic system varies in both time and space. Laboratory experiments have shown that gas and water permeabilities can differ for the same rock sample, but experiments are biased towards rocks that contain minerals that are expected react with the pore fluid (such as the reaction between liquid water and clay). We present here the first study that systematically compares the gas and water permeability of volcanic rocks. Our data show that permeabilities to argon gas and deionised water can differ by a factor between two and five in two volcanic rocks (basalt and andesite) over a confining pressure range from 2 to 50 MPa. We suggest here that the microstructural elements that offer the shortest route through the sample-estimated to have an average radius 0.1-0.5 μm using the Klinkenberg slip factor-are accessible to gas, but restricted or inaccessible to water. We speculate that water adsorption on the surface of these thin microstructural elements, assumed here to be tortuous/rough microcracks, reduces their effective radius and/or prevents access. These data have important implications for fluid flow and therefore the distribution and build-up of pore pressure within volcanic systems.

Tectonic implications of the contrasting geochemistry of Damaran mafic volcanic rocks, South West Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.McG.

1983-01-01

Ortho-amphibolites occur in the southern and central parts of the north-east-trending branch of the Damara Orogen. The Matchless Member amphibolites are interbedded with quartzose mica schist. Mobility of Si, ΣFe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, P, CO 2 , H 2 O, Rb, Ba, Sr and possibly LREE and immobility of Co, V, Sc, Ga, Zr, Nb, Y and HREE are indicated during metamorphism and reaction with country rock. Central Zone amphibolites are alkaline. The stratigraphically lower amphibolites have a within-plate chemistry; their distribution and associated rock types indicate a continental origin. The Matchless amphibolites have an ocean-floor chemistry. The Damaran sedimentary and orogenic cycle was initiated by continental rifting in three parallel zones in which alkaline acid volcanics occur locally. Widespread subsidence of the rift zones and the intervening areas followed and led to deposition of carbonate and clastic rocks under shallow marine conditions. During renewed rifting, submarine, alkaline basic lavas were extruded. The Southern Margin Zone amphibolites are interbedded with continental slope mixtites and continental rise deep-water fans. Spreading led to continental breakup and the formation of oceanic crust

Gravitational, erosional and depositional processes on volcanic ocean islands: Insights from the submarine morphology of Madeira Archipelago

Science.gov (United States)

Quartau, Rui; Ramalho, Ricardo S.; Madeira, José; Santos, Rúben; Rodrigues, Aurora; Roque, Cristina; Carrara, Gabriela; Brum da Silveira, António

2018-01-01

The submarine flanks of volcanic ocean islands are shaped by a variety of physical processes. Whilst volcanic constructional processes are relatively well understood, the gravitational, erosional and depositional processes that lead to the establishment of large submarine tributary systems are still poorly comprehended. Until recently, few studies have offered a comprehensive source-to-sink approach, linking subaerial morphology with near-shore shelf, slope and far-field abyssal features. In particular, few studies have addressed how different aspects of the subaerial part of the system (island height, climate, volcanic activity, wave regime, etc.) may influence submarine flank morphologies. We use multibeam bathymetric and backscatter mosaics of an entire archipelago - Madeira - to investigate the development of their submarine flanks. Crucially, this dataset extends from the nearshore to the deep sea, allowing a solid correlation between submarine morphologies with the physical and geological setting of the islands. In this study we also established a comparison with other island settings, which allowed us to further explore the wider implications of the observations. The submarine flanks of the Madeira Archipelago are deeply dissected by large landslides, most of which also affected the subaerial edifices. Below the shelf break, landslide chutes extend downslope forming poorly defined depositional lobes. Around the islands, a large tributary system composed of gullies and channels has formed where no significant rocky/ridge outcrops are present. In Madeira Island these were likely generated by turbidity currents that originated as hyperpycnal flows, whilst on Porto Santo and Desertas their origin is attributed to storm-induced offshore sediment transport. At the lower part of the flanks (-3000 to -4300 m), where seafloor gradients decrease to 0.5°-3°, several scour and sediment wave fields are present, with the former normally occurring upslope of the latter

Evidence from acoustic imaging for submarine volcanic activity in 2012 off the west coast of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Nemesio M.; Somoza, Luis; Hernández, Pedro A.; de Vallejo, Luis González; León, Ricardo; Sagiya, Takeshi; Biain, Ander; González, Francisco J.; Medialdea, Teresa; Barrancos, José; Ibáñez, Jesús; Sumino, Hirochika; Nogami, Kenji; Romero, Carmen

2014-12-01

We report precursory geophysical, geodetic, and geochemical signatures of a new submarine volcanic activity observed off the western coast of El Hierro, Canary Islands. Submarine manifestation of this activity has been revealed through acoustic imaging of submarine plumes detected on the 20-kHz chirp parasound subbottom profiler (TOPAS PS18) mounted aboard the Spanish RV Hespérides on June 28, 2012. Five distinct "filament-shaped" acoustic plumes emanating from the flanks of mounds have been recognized at water depth between 64 and 88 m on a submarine platform located NW El Hierro. These plumes were well imaged on TOPAS profiles as "flares" of high acoustic contrast of impedance within the water column. Moreover, visible plumes composed of white rafts floating on the sea surface and sourcing from the location of the submarine plumes were reported by aerial photographs on July 3, 2012, 5 days after acoustic plumes were recorded. In addition, several geophysical and geochemical data support the fact that these submarine vents were preceded by several precursory signatures: (i) a sharp increase of the seismic energy release and the number of daily earthquakes of magnitude ≥2.5 on June 25, 2012, (ii) significant vertical and horizontal displacements observed at the Canary Islands GPS network (Nagoya University-ITER-GRAFCAN) with uplifts up to 3 cm from June 25 to 26, 2012, (iii) an anomalous increase of the soil gas radon activity, from the end of April until the beginning of June reaching peak values of 2.7 kBq/m3 on June 3, 2012, and (iv) observed positive peak in the air-corrected value of 3He/4He ratio monitored in ground waters (8.5 atmospheric 3He/4He ratio ( R A)) at the northwestern El Hierro on June 16, 2012. Combining these submarine and subaerial information, we suggest these plumes are the consequence of submarine vents exhaling volcanic gas mixed with fine ash as consequence of an event of rapid rise of volatile-rich magma beneath the NW submarine ridge

Groundwater characteristics and problems in volcanic rock terrains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Custodio, E.

1989-01-01

Volcanic rock formations, each with their own particular hydrogeological characteristics, occur in circumstances that cover a multiplicity of situations. These range from permeable porous rock formations to permeable fissured formations and include all types of intermediate situation between the two. The type of volcanism, distance from the source of emission, age, alteration processes and tectonics are all factors which determine their behaviour. Volcanic formations usually constitute a single aquifer system, even though this may be very heterogeneous and may locally be separated into clearly defined subunits. At times, formations may be hundreds of metres thick and are fairly permeable almost throughout. As a rule, volcanic material does not yield directly soluble salts to the water that flows through it. Mineralization of the water is due to the concentration of rainfall and the hydrolysis of silicates as a result of CO 2 being absorbed from the atmosphere and the ground, or as a result of volcanism itself. Cationic grouping is usually closely correlated to that of the rock formation in which the chemical composition is formed. Most environmental isotope and radioisotope techniques may be used, and at times are of unquestionable value. However, the existence of evaporation in the soil with possible isotopic fractionation, the effects of marked relief, the dilution of dissolved carbon by volcanic carbon and isotopic exchange brought about by volcanic carbon, etc., should be taken into account before valid conclusions are drawn. The paper uses examples taken from existing studies, mainly those being carried out in the Canary Islands (Spain). (author). 98 refs, 18 figs, 4 tabs

Reservoir Space Evolution of Volcanic Rocks in Deep Songliao Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, M.; Wu, X.; Zheng, M.; HU, J.; Wang, S.

2015-12-01

Recent years, large amount of natural gas has been discovered in volcanic rock of Lower Crataceous of Songliao basin. Volcanic reservoirs have become one of the important target reservoir types of eastern basin of China. In order to study the volcanic reservoirs, we need to know the main factors controlling the reservoir space. By careful obsercation on volcanic drilling core, casting thin sections and statistical analysis of petrophysical properties of volcanic reservoir in Songliao basin, it can be suggested that the igneous rock reservoir in Yingcheng formation of Lower Crataceous is composed of different rock types, such ad rohylite, rohylitic crystal tuff, autoclastic brecciation lava and so on. There are different reservoirs storage space in in various lithological igneous rocks, but they are mainly composed of primary stoma, secondary solution pores and fractures.The evolution of storage space can be divided into 3 stage: the pramary reservoir space,exogenic leaching process and burial diagenesis.During the evolution process, the reservoir space is effected by secondary minerals, tectonic movement and volcanic hydrothermal solution. The pore of volcanic reservoirs can be partially filled by secondary minerals, but also may be dissoluted by other chemical volcanic hydrothermal solution. Therefore, the favorable places for better-quality volcanic reservoirs are the near-crater facies of vocanic apparatus and dissolution zones on the high position of paleo-structures.

Influence of mesostasis in volcanic rocks on the alkali-aggregate reaction

KAUST Repository

Tiecher, Francieli

2012-11-01

Mesostasis material present in the interstices of volcanic rocks is the main cause of the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concretes made with these rock aggregates. Mesostasis often is referred to as volcanic glass, because it has amorphous features when analyzed by optical microscopy. However, this study demonstrates that mesostasis in the interstitials of volcanic rocks most often consists of micro to cryptocrystalline mineral phases of quartz, feldspars, and clays. Mesostasis has been identified as having different characteristics, and, thus, this new characterization calls for a re-evaluation of their influence on the reactivity of the volcanic rocks. The main purpose of this study is to correlate the characteristics of mesostasis with the AAR in mortar bars containing basalts and rhyolites. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of mesostasis in volcanic rocks on the alkali-aggregate reaction

KAUST Repository

Tiecher, Francieli; Dal Molin, Denise Carpena Coitinho; Gomes, Má rcia Elisa Boscato; Hasparyk, Nicole Pagan; Monteiro, Paulo José Meleragno

2012-01-01

Mesostasis material present in the interstices of volcanic rocks is the main cause of the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concretes made with these rock aggregates. Mesostasis often is referred to as volcanic glass, because it has amorphous features when analyzed by optical microscopy. However, this study demonstrates that mesostasis in the interstitials of volcanic rocks most often consists of micro to cryptocrystalline mineral phases of quartz, feldspars, and clays. Mesostasis has been identified as having different characteristics, and, thus, this new characterization calls for a re-evaluation of their influence on the reactivity of the volcanic rocks. The main purpose of this study is to correlate the characteristics of mesostasis with the AAR in mortar bars containing basalts and rhyolites. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What, When, Where, and Why of Secondary Hawaiian Hotspot Volcanism

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, M. O.; Ito, G.; Applegate, B.; Weis, D.; Swinnard, L.; Flinders, A.; Hanano, D.; Nobre-Silva, I.; Bianco, T.; Naumann, T.; Geist, D.; Blay, C.; Sciaroni, L.; Maerschalk, C.; Harpp, K.; Christensen, B.

2007-12-01

Secondary hotspot volcanism occurs on most oceanic island groups (Hawaii, Canary, Society) but its origins remain enigmatic. A 28-day marine expedition used multibeam bathymetry and acoustic imagery to map the extent of submarine volcanic fields around the northern Hawaiian Islands (Kauai, Niihau and Kaula), and the JASON2 ROV to sample many volcanoes to characterize the petrology, geochemistry (major and trace elements, and isotopes) and ages of the lavas from these volcanoes. Our integrated geological, geochemical and geophysical study attempts to examine the what (compositions and source), where (distribution and volumes), when (ages), and why (mechanisms) of secondary volcanism on and around the northern Hawaiian Islands. A first-order objective was to establish how the submarine volcanism relates in space, time, volume, and composition to the nearby shield volcanoes and their associated onshore secondary volcanism. Our surveying and sampling revealed major fields of submarine volcanoes extending from the shallow slopes of these islands to more than 100 km offshore. These discoveries dramatically expand the volumetric importance, distribution and geodynamic framework for Hawaiian secondary volcanism. New maps and rock petrology on the samples collected will be used to evaluate currently proposed mechanisms for secondary volcanism and to consider new models such as small-scale mantle convection driven by thermal and melt-induced buoyancy to produce the huge volume of newly discovered lava. Our results seem to indicate substantial revisions are needed to our current perceptions of hotspot dynamics for Hawaii and possibly elsewhere.

Strength and deformation properties of volcanic rocks in Iceland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foged, Niels Nielsen; Andreassen, Katrine Alling

2016-01-01

rock from Iceland has been the topic for rock mechanical studies carried out by Ice-landic guest students at the Department of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Den-mark over a number of years in cooperation with University of Iceland, Vegagerðin (The Icelandic Road Directorate......) and Landsvirkjun (The National Power Company of Iceland). These projects involve engineering geological properties of volcanic rock in Iceland, rock mechanical testing and parameter evaluation. Upscaling to rock mass properties and modelling using Q- or GSI-methods have been studied by the students......Tunnelling work and preinvestigations for road traces require knowledge of the strength and de-formation properties of the rock material involved. This paper presents results related to tunnel-ling for Icelandic water power plants and road tunnels from a number of regions in Iceland. The volcanic...

Petrographic and geochemical data for Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the Bodie Hills, California and Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

du Bray, Edward A.; John, David A.; Box, Stephen E.; Vikre, Peter G.; Fleck, Robert J.; Cousens, Brian L.

2013-04-23

Petrographic and geochemical data for Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the Bodie Hills, California and Nevada // // This report presents petrographic and geochemical data for samples collected during investigations of Tertiary volcanism in the Bodie Hills of California and Nevada. Igneous rocks in the area are principally 15–6 Ma subduction-related volcanic rocks of the Bodie Hills volcanic field but also include 3.9–0.1 Ma rocks of the bimodal, post-subduction Aurora volcanic field. Limited petrographic results for local basement rocks, including Mesozoic granitoid rocks and their metamorphic host rocks, are also included in the compilation. The petrographic data include visual estimates of phenocryst abundances as well as other diagnostic petrographic criteria. The geochemical data include whole-rock major oxide and trace element data, as well as limited whole-rock isotopic data.

Unzen volcanic rocks as heat source of geothermal activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayashi, Masao; Sugiyama, Hiromi

1987-03-25

Only a few radiometric ages have been reported so far for the Unzen volcanic rocks. In this connection, in order to clarify the relation between volcanism and geothermal activity, fission track ages of zircon seperated from the Unzen volcanic rocks in western Kyushu have been dated. Since all the rocks are thought to be young, the external surface re-etch method was adopted. The results are that the age and standard error of the basal volcaniclastic rocks of the Tatsuishi formation are 0.28 +- 0.05 Ma and 0.25 +- 0.05 Ma. The next oldest Takadake lavas range from 0.26 to 0.20 Ma. The Kusenbudake lavas fall in a narrow range from 0.19 to 0.17 Ma. The latest Fugendake lavas are younger than 0.07 Ma.In conclusion, the most promising site for geothermal power generation is the Unzen hot spring field because of its very high temperature. After that, comes the Obama hot spring field because of the considerable high temperature chemically estimated. In addition, the northwestern area of the Unzen volcanic region will be promising for electric power generation in spite of no geothermal manifestations, since its volcanos are younger than 0.2 Ma. (14 figs, 14 tabs, 22 refs)

Geochemical characterization of Parana Basin volcanic rocks: petrogenetic implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marques, L.S.

1988-01-01

A detailed study of the geochemical characteristics of Parana Basin volcanic rocks is presented. The results are based on the analyses of major and trace elements of 158 samples. Ninety three of these volcanic samples belong to 8 flow sequences from Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina States. The remaining sixty five samples are distributed over the entire basin. In order to study the influence of crustal contamination processes in changing chemical characteristics of the volcanic rocks, 47 samples representative of the crystalline basement of the southern and southeastern Parana Basin were also analysed. Several petrogenetic models were tested to explain the compocional variability of the volcanic rocks, in particular those of southern region. The results obtained sugest an assimilation-fractional crystallization process as viable to explain the differences of both the chemical characteristics and Sr isotope initial ratios observed in basic and intermediate rocks. A model involving melting processes of basic material, trapped at the base of the crust, with composition similar to low and high TiO 2 basalts appears to be a possibility to originate the Palmas and Chapeco acid melts, respectively. The study of ''uncontaminated'' or poorly contaminated low TiO 2 basic rocks from the southern, central and northern regions shows the existence of significant differences in the geochemical charactetistics according to their geographical occurrence. A similar geochemical diversity is also observed in high TiO 2 basalts and Chapeco volcanics. Differences in incompatible element ratios between low and high TiO 2 ''uncontaminated'' or poorly contaminated basalts suggest that they could have been produced by different degrees of melting in a garnet peridotite source. Geochemical and isotopic (Sr and Nd) data also support the view that basalts from northern and southern regions of Parana Basin originated from mantle source with different composition. (author) [pt

Geomechanical characterization of volcanic rocks using empirical systems and data mining techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Miranda

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper tries to characterize volcanic rocks through the development and application of an empirical geomechanical system. Geotechnical information was collected from the samples from several Atlantic Ocean islands including Madeira, Azores and Canarias archipelagos. An empirical rock classification system termed as the volcanic rock system (VRS is developed and presented in detail. Results using the VRS are compared with those obtained using the traditional rock mass rating (RMR system. Data mining (DM techniques are applied to a database of volcanic rock geomechanical information from the islands. Different algorithms were developed and consequently approaches were followed for predicting rock mass classes using the VRS and RMR classification systems. Finally, some conclusions are drawn with emphasis on the fact that a better performance was achieved using attributes from VRS.

Geomechanical characterization of volcanic rocks using empirical systems and data mining techniques

OpenAIRE

T. Miranda; L.R. Sousa; A.T. Gomes; J. Tinoco; C. Ferreira

2018-01-01

This paper tries to characterize volcanic rocks through the development and application of an empirical geomechanical system. Geotechnical information was collected from the samples from several Atlantic Ocean islands including Madeira, Azores and Canarias archipelagos. An empirical rock classification system termed as the volcanic rock system (VRS) is developed and presented in detail. Results using the VRS are compared with those obtained using the traditional rock mass rating (RMR) system....

Study on the locational criteria for submarine rock repositories of low and medium level radioactive wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, G H; Kang, W J; Kim, T J. and others [Chungnam National Univ., Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1992-01-15

Submarine repositories have significant advantages over their land counterparts locating close to the areas of daily human activities. Consequently, the construction of submarine repositories on the vast continental shelves around Korean seas is considered to be highly positive. In this context, the development of locational criteria primarily targeting the safety of submarine rock repositories is very important.The contents of the present study are: analyzing characteristics of marine environment: Search of potential hazards to, and environmental impact by, the submarine repositories; Investigation of the oceanographic, geochemical, ecological and sedimentological characteristics of estuaries and coastal seas. Locating potential hazards to submarine repositories by: Bibliographical search of accidents leading to the destruction of submarine structures by turbidity currents and other potentials; Review of turbidity currents. Consideration of environmental impact caused by submarine repositories: Logistics to minimize the environmental impacts in site selection; Removal and dispersion processes of radionuclides in sea water. Analyses of oceanographical characteristics of, and hazard potentials in, the Korean seas. Evaluation of the MOST 91-7 criteria for applicability to submarine repositories and the subsequent proposition of additional criteria.

Study on the locational criteria for submarine rock repositories of low and medium level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, G. H.; Kang, W. J.; Kim, T. J. and others

1992-01-01

Submarine repositories have significant advantages over their land counterparts locating close to the areas of daily human activities. Consequently, the construction of submarine repositories on the vast continental shelves around Korean seas is considered to be highly positive. In this context, the development of locational criteria primarily targeting the safety of submarine rock repositories is very important.The contents of the present study are: analyzing characteristics of marine environment: Search of potential hazards to, and environmental impact by, the submarine repositories; Investigation of the oceanographic, geochemical, ecological and sedimentological characteristics of estuaries and coastal seas. Locating potential hazards to submarine repositories by: Bibliographical search of accidents leading to the destruction of submarine structures by turbidity currents and other potentials; Review of turbidity currents. Consideration of environmental impact caused by submarine repositories: Logistics to minimize the environmental impacts in site selection; Removal and dispersion processes of radionuclides in sea water. Analyses of oceanographical characteristics of, and hazard potentials in, the Korean seas. Evaluation of the MOST 91-7 criteria for applicability to submarine repositories and the subsequent proposition of additional criteria

An Overview of the Soutpansberg Sedimentary and Volcanic Rocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.W. Bristow

1986-11-01

Full Text Available Volcanic and sedimentary rocks occupy a faulted graben within the previously uplifted and eroded high-grade gneiss terrain of the Limpopo Mobile Belt. The rocks comprise the Soutpansberg Group and represent an important sequence of Proterozoic rocks. Their general geology and volcanology is summarised in this paper.

K-Ar ages of the Neogene volcanic rocks from the Oshamambe district, southwestern Hokkaido

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Kazuya; Shibata, Ken; Ishida, Masao

1988-01-01

Oshamanbe district is on the northern extension of the so-called green tuff district in northeastern Japan, and the sedimentary rocks in a sea area and volcanic rocks from Miocene to Pleistocene widely distribute. The authors carried out the geological survey of this district, and published the results as the geological features in Oshamanbe district. The volcanic rocks distributing in this district range from andesite to dacite and rhyolite. Their lithofacies are mostly volcanic breccia and tuff breccia, accompanied by lava and dikes. This time, the measurement of the age of these volcanic rocks was carried out, and the stratigraphical table made by the authors was investigated. It is considered that those age values offer important information for determining the age of the Setana formation. The outline of the geological features, the samples for the measurement, the method of measurement of Ar isotopic ratio and K, and the results of measurement are reported. As the results, 4.38 - 4.47 Ma were obtained for Garogawa volcanic rocks, and 2.59 Ma for Shamanbesan volcanic rocks. The period of sedimentation of the Setana formation was from the latter period of Pliocene to pleistocene. (Kako, I.)

Hydrological and geochemical investigation on the volcanic rock and gneissic rock area

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Koh, Yong Kwon; Jeong, Chan Ho; Ryu, Kun Seok; Kim, Byoung Yeop; Park, Hyung Kun; Yu, Sang Woo; Jang, Hyu Kun; Lee, Suk Chi; Choi, Ki Young; Jeon, Hyu Woong; Kim, Do Hyoung [Daejong University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2010-01-15

The purpose of this study is to supply the basic data and optimum study site among volcanic rock area and gneissic rock area for high-level radioactive waste disposal. For this purpose, geological, hydrogeological and geochemical data from previously published literatures were collected and analyzed. In this study, we selected 36 volcanic rock sites and 26 gneissic sites as the candidate sites for high level radwaste disposal. Finally, for four sites(M-1, M-13, V-1 and V-13 sites) were selected as the study sites. The geochemical characteristics of groundwaters of each study site were statistically analyzed. The nitrate contamination and the sea water mixing will be important factors on the assessment of behaviour of radionuclides under groundwater environment. From the deep geothermal study, alkaline and sodium-bicarbonate chemical environment, and sea water mixing should be considered as the key factors for the deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Feasibility study on volcanic power generation system

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None

1977-07-01

Investigations were carried out to determine the feasibility of volcanic power generation on Satsuma Io Island. Earthquakes were studied, as were the eruptions of subaerial and submarine hot springs. Hydrothermal rock alteration was studied and electrical surveys were made. General geophysical surveying was performed with thermocameras and radiation monitoring equipment. In particular, the Toyoba mine was studied, both with respect to its hot spring and its subsurface temperatures.

Coastal submarine hydrothermal activity off northern Baja California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vidal, V.M.V.; Vidal, F.V.; Isaacs, J.D.; Young, D.R.

1978-01-01

In situ observations of submarine hydrothermal activity have been conducted in Punta Banda. Baja Califronia, Mexico, approximately 400 m from the coast and at a seawater depth of 30 m. The hydrothermal activity occurs within the Agua Blanca Fault, a major transverse structure of Northern Baja California. Hot springwater samples have been collected and analyzed. Marked differences exist between the submarine hot springwater, local land hot springwaters, groundwater, and local seawater. SiO 2 , HCO 3 , Ca, K, Li, B, Ba, Rb, Fe, Mn, As, and Zn are enriched in the submarine hot springwater, while Cl, Na, So 4 2 , Mg, Cu, Ni, Cd, Cr, and perhaps Pb are depleted in relation to average and local seawater values. Very high temperatures, at the hydrothermal vents, have been recorded (102 0 C at 4-atm pressure). Visible gaseous emanations rich in CH 4 and N 2 coexist with the hydrothermal solutions. Metalliferous deposits, pyrite, have been encountered with high concentrations of Fe, S, Si, Al, Mn, Ca, and the volatile elements As, Hg, Sb, and Tl, X ray dispersive spectrometry (1500-ppm detection limit). X ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy of the isolated metalliferous precipitates indicate that the principal products of precipitation are pyrite and gypsum accompanied by minor amounts of amorphous material containing Si and Al. Chemical analyses and XRD of the reference control rocks of the locality (volcanics) versus the hydrothermally altered rocks indicate that high-temperature and high-pressure water-rock interactions can in part explain the water chemistry characteristics of the submarine hydrothermal waters. Their long residence time, the occurrence of an extensive marine sedimentary formation, their association with CH 4 and their similarities with connate waters of oil and gas fields suggest that another component of their genesis could be in cation exchange reactions within deeply buried sediments of marine origin

Environmental monitoring of El Hierro Island submarine volcano, by combining low and high resolution satellite imagery

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Eugenio, F.; Martin, J.; Marcello, J.; Fraile-Nuez, E.

2014-06-01

El Hierro Island, located at the Canary Islands Archipelago in the Atlantic coast of North Africa, has been rocked by thousands of tremors and earthquakes since July 2011. Finally, an underwater volcanic eruption started 300 m below sea level on October 10, 2011. Since then, regular multidisciplinary monitoring has been carried out in order to quantify the environmental impacts caused by the submarine eruption. Thanks to this natural tracer release, multisensorial satellite imagery obtained from MODIS and MERIS sensors have been processed to monitor the volcano activity and to provide information on the concentration of biological, chemical and physical marine parameters. Specifically, low resolution satellite estimations of optimal diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration under these abnormal conditions have been assessed. These remote sensing data have played a fundamental role during field campaigns guiding the oceanographic vessel to the appropriate sampling areas. In addition, to analyze El Hierro submarine volcano area, WorldView-2 high resolution satellite spectral bands were atmospherically and deglinted processed prior to obtain a high-resolution optimal diffuse attenuation coefficient model. This novel algorithm was developed using a matchup data set with MERIS and MODIS data, in situ transmittances measurements and a seawater radiative transfer model. Multisensor and multitemporal imagery processed from satellite remote sensing sensors have demonstrated to be a powerful tool for monitoring the submarine volcanic activities, such as discolored seawater, floating material and volcanic plume, having shown the capabilities to improve the understanding of submarine volcanic processes.

Multi-elemental characterization of volcanic and vulcano-sedimentary rocks from Pina petroleum ore, central Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montero-Cabrera, M.E.; Herrera-Peraza, E.; Betancourt-Tanda, L.; Campa-Menendez, R.; Diaz-Rizo, O.; Rodriguez-Martinez, N.; Segura-Soto, R.; Hernandez-Lopez, B.; Valdes-Lopez, S.

1994-01-01

Concentrations of 32 elements in 22 clay, limestone, tuff and volcanic rock samples from the Pina ore have been obtained by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence analyses. Several LILE (large ion lithofile elements) and REE (rare earth element) concentration diagrams showed the calc-alkaline character of the volcanic rocks corresponding to the Greater Antilles Island, Arc. The basaltic andesite behavior of the rocks studied was confirmed by comparing the average concentrations obtained from tuffs and volcanic rocks with proper mean values of rock elemental compositions of the earth's crust. (Author)

Multi-elemental characterization of volcanic and vulcano-sedimentary rocks from Pina petroleum ore, central Cuba

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montero-Cabrera, M.E.; Herrera-Peraza, E.; Betancourt-Tanda, L.; Campa-Menendez, R.; Diaz-Rizo, O. (Instituto Superior de Ciencia y Tecnologia Nuclear (ISCTN), La Habana (Cuba)); Rodriguez-Martinez, N.; Segura-Soto, R.; Hernandez-Lopez, B.; Valdes-Lopez, S. (Centro de Investigaciones y Desarrollo del Petroleo, La Habana (Cuba))

1994-08-01

Concentrations of 32 elements in 22 clay, limestone, tuff and volcanic rock samples from the Pina ore have been obtained by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence analyses. Several LILE (large ion lithofile elements) and REE (rare earth element) concentration diagrams showed the calc-alkaline character of the volcanic rocks corresponding to the Greater Antilles Island, Arc. The basaltic andesite behavior of the rocks studied was confirmed by comparing the average concentrations obtained from tuffs and volcanic rocks with proper mean values of rock elemental compositions of the earth's crust. (Author).

Geochemical and geochronological constrains on the Chiang Khong volcanic rocks (northwestern Thailand) and its tectonic implications

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Qian, Xin; Feng, Qinglai; Chonglakmani, Chongpan; Monjai, Denchok

2013-12-01

Volcanic rocks in northwestern Thailand exposed dominantly in the Chiang Khong area, are commonly considered to be genetically linked to the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean. The volcanic rocks consist mainly of andesitic to rhyolitic rocks and are traditionally mapped as Permian-Triassic sequences. Our zircon U-Pb geochronological results show that two andesitic samples (TL-1-B and TL-31-B), are representative of the Doi Yao volcanic zone, and give a mean weighted age of 241.2±4.6 Ma and 241.7±2.9 Ma, respectively. The rhyolitic sample (TL-32-B1) from the Doi Khun Ta Khuan volcanic zone erupted at 238.3±3.8 Ma. Such ages indicate that Chiang Khong volcanic rocks erputed during the early Middle Triassic period. Seven samples from the Doi Yao and Doi Khun Ta Khuan zones exhibit an affinity to arc volcanics. Three rhyolitic samples from the Chiang Khong area have a geochemical affinity to both arc and syn-collisional volcanic rocks. The Chiang Khong arc volcanic rocks can be geochemically compared with those in the Lampang area in northern Thailand, also consistent with those in Jinghong area of southwestern Yunnan. This indicates that the Chiang Rai arc-volcanic zone might northwardly link to the Lancangjiang volcanic zone in southwestern China.

Research on petrologic, geochemical characteristics and genesis of volcanic rocks in Dachangsha basin

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Wei Sanyuan

1999-01-01

On the basis of research on petrologic, geochemical characteristics and isotope composition of volcanic rocks in Dachangsha basin, the author concludes that the volcanic rocks formed from magma of different genesis and depth are double-cycle effusive. It is proposed that the magma forming the intermediate-basic volcanics of the first cycle comes from the mixing of the partial melting of the deep crust and mantle, and the intermediate-acidic volcanics of the secondary cycle are derived from the remelting of the upper crust

Evaluation of early Archean volcaniclastic and volcanic flow rocks as possible sites for carbonaceous fossil microbes.

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Walsh, Maud M

2004-01-01

Sedimentary rocks have traditionally been the focus of the search for Archean microfossils; the Earth's oldest fossil bacteria are associated with carbonaceous matter in sedimentary cherts in greenstone belts in the eastern Pilbara block of Western Australia and Barberton greenstone belt of South Africa. Reports of possible fossils in a martian meteorite composed of igneous rock and the discovery of modern bacteria associated with basalts have stimulated a new look at Archean volcanic rocks as possible sites for fossil microbes. This study examines silicified volcaniclastic rocks, near-surface altered volcanic flow rocks, and associated stromatolite- like structures from the Archean Barberton greenstone belt to evaluate their potential for the preservation of carbonaceous fossils. Detrital carbonaceous particles are widely admixed with current-deposited debris. Carbonaceous matter is also present in altered volcanic flow rocks as sparse particles in silica veins that appear to be fed by overlying carbonaceous chert layers. Neither microfossils nor mat-like material was identified in the altered volcanic rocks or adjacent stromatolite-like structures. Ancient volcanic flow and volcaniclastic rocks are not promising sites for carbonaceous fossil preservation.

The phosphorus status of andisols as influenced by nanoparticles of volcanic ash and rock phosphate

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Devnita, Rina; Joy, Benny; Arifin, Mahfud; Setiawan, Ade; Rosniawaty, Santi; Meidina, Felia Shella

2018-02-01

Andisols need to be ameliorated to improve the phosphorus status. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of nanoparticles of volcanic ash and rock phosphate as ameliorants in Andisols to P-retention, available P and potential P in Andisols. The research used a complete randomized experimental design in factorial with two factors. The first factor was nanoparticle of volcanic ash (a) and the second factor was rock phosphate (p). Both ameliorants consist of four doses on soil weight percentage (0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%). The combined treatments were replicated three times. The soil and treatments were mixed and incubated for 4 months. Soil samples were taken after one month and four months of incubation to be analyzed the P-retention, available P and potential P. The results showed that there are interactions between the volcanic ash and rock phosphate on available P and potential P after one month of incubation. However, there were no interactions occurring between the volcanic ash and rock phosphate on P-retention after one and four months of incubation and no interactions on available P and potential P after four months. The best combined treatments in increasing available P and potential P after one month was obtained in 2.5% of volcanic ash and 5% of rock phosphate that increased available P to 405.75 ppm. The 2.5% of volcanic ash and 7.5% of rock phosphate increased potential P to 2190.26 mg/100 g. Independently, 7.5% of volcanic ash and rock phosphate decreased P-retention to 71.49% after one month and 89.74% after four months. Higher effect on the application of nanoparticle of volcanic ash and rock phosphate to the phosphorus status of Andisols recieved after one month of incubation is compared with four months of incubation.

Transition of neogene arc volcanism in central-western Hokkaido, viewed from K-Ar ages, style of volcanic activity, and bulk rock chemistry

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Hirose, Wataru; Iwasaki, Miyuki; Nakagawa, Mitsuhiro [Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo (Japan)

2000-02-01

Spatial and temporal variations in late Cenozoic volcanism of southwestern Hokkaido at the northern end of NE-Japan arc have been clarified by 261 K-Ar and 76 FT ages including 49 newly determined K-Ar ages, volcanic stratigraphy, physical volcanology and whole-rock geochemistry. Arc volcanism characterized by rocks with low-Ti and Nb, and by across-arc increase in K{sub 2}O content in these rocks has continued at least since 12 Ma. Based on volcanic stratigraphy, physical volcanology and whole-rock geochemistry, volcanism after 12 Ma can be subdivided into 4 stages, 12-5, 5-1.7, and 1.7-0 Ma. The volcanism from 12 Ma to 5 Ma extended northward widely compared with distribution of Quaternary arc volcanism (1.7-0 Ma). This suggests that the arc trench junction between Kuril and NE-Japan arc's trenches was located about 100 km northward from the present position. Since around 5 Ma until 1.7 Ma, different type of volcanism under local extension field, characterized by a group of monogenetic volcanoes of alkali basalt and shield volcanoes of calc-alkaline andesite, had occurred at northern end of the volcanic region (Takikawa-Mashike region). During and after this volcanism, the northern edge of arc volcanism in the area has migrated southward. This suggests that the trench junction has migrated about 100 km southward since {approx}5 Ma. The quaternary arc volcanism (1.7-0 Ma) has been restricted at the southern part of the region. The volcanism since 12 Ma might be influenced by oblique subduction of Pacific plate beneath Kuril arc, resulting in the formation of local back arc basin at the junction and to southward migration of the trench junction. (author)

Tungsten abundances in some volcanic rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helsen, J.N.; Shaw, D.M.; Crocket, J.H.

1978-01-01

A radiochemical N.A.A. method was used to obtain new values on W distribution in some 125 volcanic rocks, mainly basalts and andesites, from different petrotectonic environments. These W data are below previously reported abundances. New median values in various types of rocks are suggested (ppm W). Basalts: ocean floor, 0.15; ocean islands subalkaline, 0.28; ocean islands alkaline, 0.60; island arc, 0.19; continental margin, 0.40; continental subalkaline, 0.30; continental alkaline, 1.35. Andesites: island arc, 0.23; continental margin, 1.05. Median values for all 91 basalts and all 20 andesites are 0.36 and 0.29 ppm respectively. (author)

Sr-Nd isotope systematics of xenoliths in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from SW Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagami, Hiroo; Iwata, Masatoshi; Iizumi, Shigeru; Nureki, Terukazu.

1993-01-01

Based on new and previously published Sr and Nd isotope data, we examined the petrogenetic relationship between deep crust- and upper mantle-derived xenoliths contained in Cenozoic volcanic rocks and Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in SW Japan. The deep crust- and upper mantle-derived mafic to ultramafic xenoliths contained in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from SW Japan have comparable initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios to the Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in their respective districts. This may suggest that these xenoliths were genetically related to the Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in SW Japan, and that regional variations in Sr and Nd isotope ratios observed in the granitoid rocks are attributed to differences in the geochemistry of the magma sources. (author)

Change with time in extrusion and chemical composition of volcanic rock in geothermal areas in central Kyushu

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Kamata, Hiroki

1986-10-01

Changes with time in extrusion and chemical composition of volcanic rocks in central Kyushu are studied to provide basic data required for evaluation of geothermal resources. Distribution of volcanic rocks in successive 1Ma (10/sup 6/ year) periods and the average thickness of volcanic rock layers in each period are determined, from which the volume of volcanic rocks in each 1Ma period is calculated. Results indicate that volcanos in central Kyushu extruded about 3,000 km/sup 3//Ma of volcanic rocks during the early periods (about 5Ma), followed by a series of declining periods up to the present. Comparison of volcanic extrusive rocks of each 1Ma period shows that lava of hornblende andesite and pyroxenic andesite has been extruded in great quantities in every period. Chemical composition is studied based on diagrams showing changes in SiO/sub 2/ content. The K/sub 2/O content is relatively high in most volcanos younger than 1.6Ma, compared to those older than 1.6Ma. the K/sub 2/O content in extruded rocks has been high during the latest 0.4Ma in the Aso volcanic area, unlike other island arc conjunction areas. (4 figs, 5 tabs, 28 refs)

Isotopic feature and uranium dating of the volcanic rocks in the Okinawa Trough

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

Volcanic rocks from the northern and middle Okinawa Trough were dated by uranium-series dating method. Differential fractions using magnetic procedure were designed to separate samples. New report on the ages and isotopic data of rocks in the northern trough (especially black pumice) was discussed. Based on the uranium dates and Sr-Nd isotopic ratio, magmatic evolution process of the Okinawa Trough was noted. Firstly, there have been wide silicic volcanic activities in the Okinawa Trough from late Pleistocene to present, and the volcanic rocks can be divided into three subgroups. Secondly, magma generally came from PREMA source area under the Okinawa Trough. Magmatic evolution in the northern trough was similar to the middle, but different to the south. Finally, volcanic activities indicated that opening of the southern Okinawa Trough did not happen due to the collision between Luson Arc and Eurasian Plate until the early Pleistocene.

Exploring the submarine Graham Bank in the Sicily Channel

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Mauro Coltelli

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In the Sicily Channel, volcanic activity has been concentrated mainly on the Pantelleria and Linosa islands, while minor submarine volcanism took place in the Adventure, Graham and Nameless banks. The volcanic activity spanned mostly during Plio-Pleistocene, however, historical submarine eruptions occurred in 1831 on the Graham Bank and in 1891 offshore Pantelleria Island. On the Graham Bank, 25 miles SW of Sciacca, the 1831 eruption formed the short-lived Ferdinandea Island that represents the only Italian volcano active in historical times currently almost completely unknown and not yet monitored. Moreover, most of the Sicily Channel seismicity is concentrated along a broad NS belt extending from the Graham Bank to Lampedusa Island. In 2012, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV carried out a multidisciplinary oceanographic cruise, named “Ferdinandea 2012”, the preliminary results of which represent the aim of this paper. The cruise goal was the mapping of the morpho-structural features of some submarine volcanic centres located in the northwestern side of the Sicily Channel and the temporary recording of their seismic and degassing activity. During the cruise, three OBS/Hs (ocean bottom seismometer with hydrophone were deployed near the Graham, Nerita and Terribile submarine banks. During the following 9 months they have recorded several seismo-acoustic signals produced by both tectonic and volcanic sources. A high-resolution bathymetric survey was achieved on the Graham Bank and on the surrounding submarine volcanic centres. A widespread and voluminous gas bubbles emission was observed by both multibeam sonar echoes and a ROV (remotely operated vehicle along the NW side of the Graham Bank, where gas and seafloor samples were also collected.

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks from the Gravina-Nutzotin belt, Alaska

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Page, Norman J; Berg, Henry C.; Haffty, Joseph

1977-01-01

The Gravina-Nutzotin belt of Middle (?) Jurassic to middle Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks in south and southeastern Alaska includes concentrically zoned ultramafic complexes known to contain platinum-group metals. Previous isotopic, petrologic, and geologic studies suggested a close relation in time and space between the volcanic rocks and the ultramafic complexes. Interpretation of 40 analyses for platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks of the belt indicates a strong geochemical correlation between the two groups of rocks and is in support of their being cogenetic either from directly connected magma chambers and flows or indirectly by selective concentration processes from similar mantle material.

Volcanic instability: the effects of internal pressurisation and consideration of rock mass properties

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Thomas, M.; Petford, N.; Bromhead, E. N.

2003-04-01

Since the events at mount St Helens during May 1980, there has been considerable attention focused on the mechanisms and consequences of volcanic edifice collapse. As a result catastrophic edifice failure is now recognised as perhaps the most socially devastating natural disaster associated with volcanic activity. The tendency of volcanic edifices to fail appears ubiquitous behaviour, and a number of failure precursors and more importantly triggers have been suggested, of which magmagenic (e.g. thermal and mechanical pore pressure increases) and seismogenic (e.g. tectonic or volcanic earthquakes) are common. Despite the increased interest in this field, large-scale, deep seated catastrophic edifice failure has still only be successfully modelled in the most extreme of cases, which does not account for the volume of field evidence of edifice collapse. One possible reason for this is the way that pore pressures are considered. For pore fluids that are entering the system from the surface (e.g. rain water) there is a set volume and therefore a set pressure that the system can accommodate, as once the edifice becomes saturated, any new fluids to fall on the surface of the edifice simply run off. If we consider internal pore fluid pressurisation from magmatic gasses, then the pressurising fluid is already in the system and the only limit to how much pressure can be accommodated is the strength of the edifice itself. The failure to fully consider the strength and deformability of a rock mass compared to an intact laboratory sample of a volcanic rock may result in a misleading assessment of edifice strength. An intact laboratory sample of basalt may yield a strength of 100--350 MPa (from uniaxial compression tests), a volcanic edifice however is not an intact rock, and is cut through by many discontinuities, including; faults, fractures and layering from discrete lava flows. A better approximation of the true strength can be determined from the rock mass rating (RMR

The volcanic rocks construction of the late paleozoic era and uranium mineralization in Beishan area of Gansu province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Zhengchang; Luo Xiaoqiang

2010-01-01

Late Paleozoic volcanic rocks in Beishan area are the favorable constructions of hydrothermal type and volcanic type deposit. From the distribution of volcanic rocks, the volcanic compositions, the volcanic facies, volcanic eruption method and rhythm, chemical and trace elements compositions, and so on, it discusses the characteristics of the Late Devonian volcanic construction in this area and its relationship with uranium mineralization, analyzes the role of volcanic ore-control mechanism, and summarizes uranium ore forming regularity of volcanic construction in Late Paleozoic. (authors)

Petrogenesis and tectonic implication of the Late Triassic post-collisional volcanic rocks in Chiang Khong, NW Thailand

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Qian, Xin; Wang, Yuejun; Feng, Qinglai; Zi, Jian-Wei; Zhang, Yuzhi; Chonglakmani, Chongpan

2016-04-01

The volcanic rocks exposed within the Chiang Khong-Lampang-Tak igneous zone in NW Thailand provide important constraints on the tectonic evolution of the eastern Paleotethys ocean. An andesite sample from the Chiang Khong area yields a zircon U-Pb age of 229 ± 4 Ma, significantly younger than the continental-arc and syn-collisional volcanic rocks (ca. 238-241 Ma). The Chiang Khong volcanic rocks are characterized by low MgO (1.71-6.72 wt.%) and high Al2O3 (15.03-17.76 wt.%). They are enriched in LILEs and LREEs and depleted in HFSEs, and have 87Sr/86Sr (i) ratios of 0.7050-0.7065, εNd (t) of - 0.32 to - 1.92, zircon εHf (t) and δ18O values of 3.5 to - 11.7 and 4.30-9.80 ‰, respectively. The geochemical data for the volcanic rocks are consistent with an origin from the enriched lithospheric mantle that had been modified by slab-derived fluid and recycled sediments. Based on available geochronological and geochemical evidences, we propose that the Late Triassic Chiang Khong volcanic rocks are equivalent to the contemporaneous volcanic rocks in the Lancangjiang igneous zone in SW China. The formation of these volcanic rocks was possibly related to the upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle during the Late Triassic, shortly after slab detachment, which induced the melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge.

Precursors predicted by artificial neural networks for mass balance calculations: Quantifying hydrothermal alteration in volcanic rocks

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Trépanier, Sylvain; Mathieu, Lucie; Daigneault, Réal; Faure, Stéphane

2016-04-01

This study proposes an artificial neural networks-based method for predicting the unaltered (precursor) chemical compositions of hydrothermally altered volcanic rock. The method aims at predicting precursor's major components contents (SiO2, FeOT, MgO, CaO, Na2O, and K2O). The prediction is based on ratios of elements generally immobile during alteration processes; i.e. Zr, TiO2, Al2O3, Y, Nb, Th, and Cr, which are provided as inputs to the neural networks. Multi-layer perceptron neural networks were trained on a large dataset of least-altered volcanic rock samples that document a wide range of volcanic rock types, tectonic settings and ages. The precursors thus predicted are then used to perform mass balance calculations. Various statistics were calculated to validate the predictions of precursors' major components, which indicate that, overall, the predictions are precise and accurate. For example, rank-based correlation coefficients were calculated to compare predicted and analysed values from a least-altered test dataset that had not been used to train the networks. Coefficients over 0.87 were obtained for all components, except for Na2O (0.77), indicating that predictions for alkali might be less performant. Also, predictions are performant for most volcanic rock compositions, except for ultra-K rocks. The proposed method provides an easy and rapid solution to the often difficult task of determining appropriate volcanic precursor compositions to rocks modified by hydrothermal alteration. It is intended for large volcanic rock databases and is most useful, for example, to mineral exploration performed in complex or poorly known volcanic settings. The method is implemented as a simple C++ console program.

New Data on the Composition of Cretaceous Volcanic Rocks of the Alazeya Plateau, Northeastern Yakutia

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Tsukanov, N. V.; Skolotnev, S. G.

2018-02-01

This work presents new data on the composition of volcanics, developed within the Alazeya Plateau of the Kolyma-Indigirka fold area (Northeast Russia), which indicate essential differences in their composition and, accordingly, different geodynamic settings of the formation of rocks. The studied igneous rocks are subdivided into two groups. Volcanics of the first group of the Late Cretaceous age, which are represented by differentiated volcanic rock series (from andesitobasalts to dacites and rhyolites), were formed under island arc conditions in the continent-ocean transition zone. Volcanics of the second group are ascribed to the tholeiitic series and were formed under the other geodynamic setting, which is associated with the regime of extension and riftogenesis, manifested in the studied area probably at the later stage.

Petrography and petrology of Quaternary volcanic rocks from Ghezel Ghaleh, northwest Qorveh

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Alireza Bajelan

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction In the east and northeast of Sanandaj in the Qorveh-Bijar-Takab axis, there are series of basaltic composition volcanoes with Quaternary age. The study area is part of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone and is located between 47°52' and 47°57' E longitudes and 35°26 and '35°30' N latitudes. Due to the location of the volcanic cone on Pliocene clastic sediments and Quaternary travertine, the age of these volcanoes is considered to be Quaternary. The cones mostly consist of low scoria, ash, volcanic bombs, lapilli deposits and basaltic lava (Moein Vaziri and Aminsobhani, 1985. Petrological and geochemical studies have been carried out to evaluate Quaternary magmatism in the area and to determine the nature of the lithological characteristics, such as the evaluation of source rocks and magma type, degree of partial melting and the tectonic setting of Ghezel Ghaleh rocks (Moein Vaziri, 1997. Simplified geological map of the study area is characterized by ER-Mapper software. Materials and methods In the course of field studies in the region, 40 samples were taken, 30 thin sections were prepared and polished. XRD analyses were performed on some whole rock samples. All major, minor and trace elements were assessed by ICP-MS at Lab Weft Laboratory in Australia. Results Based on the classification of structural zones, the area is located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone, hundred kilometers away from the main Zagros thrust along the NW-SE direction. After early Cimmerian orogeny, andesitic volcanic activity took place (Moein Vaziri and Aminsobhani, 1985. A major secondary mineral in these rocks is iddingsite, formed by hydration and oxidation of the olivine (Shelley, 1993. According to SiO2 against Na2O + K2O (TAS diagram (Irvine and Baragar , 1971 and cationic R1 and R2 diagram (De La Roche et el., 1980, volcanic rocks of the area indicate alkaline series. Discussion To obtain more information on the tectonic setting of these rocks, the Zr/Y-Zr diagram

The unzipping of Africa and South America; New insights from the Etendeka and younger volcanic events along the Angola/Namibia margin.

Science.gov (United States)

Jerram, D. A.

2015-12-01

The volcanic margin along Angola is relatively poorly constrained. This study uses new petrographic, geochronological and geochemical observations on a new sample set collected along the margin to help understand the various types and relative timings of volcanic events along the margin. This new study has identified 3 main volcanic events that occur at ~100Ma (Sumbe event 1), 90-92Ma (Serra de Neve (SDN)-Elefantes event 2) and 80-81Ma (Namibe event 3), with the oldest event in the north of the margin and younging southwards. This is contrasting with the main Etendeka pulse in Namibia at around 130 Ma. There is a marked variety of igneous rocks along the margin with a grouping of evolved alkaline rocks in the central SDN-Elefantes section, basic submarine volcanics in the north, and basanite eruptions in the southern section. There is some overlap with geochemical types along the margin. The Sumbe event contains predominantly submarine volcanics and shallow Intrusions. SDN-Elefantes rocks have a mixed type but with a distinctive feldspar rich evolved alkali suite of rocks (nepheline syenites and variations around this composition) which occur as lava flows and shallow intrusions as well as making up the core of the SDN complex. The SDN complex itself is analogous in size to the main volcanic centres in Namibia (such as Messum, Brandberg etc.) and suggests that large volcanic feeding centres are still active along the margin as young as 90ma. These in turn will form large volcano-topographic features. In the south the Ponta Negra and Canico sites mainly contain basanites in the form of lava flows, invasive flows and shallow intrusions. At Canico one intrusive plug was sampled with a similar composition to the evolved SDN-Elefantes suite. In all three events it is clear that the volcanic systems have interacted with the sedimentary systems, in some cases dynamically, in others with regional implications for volcano-tectonic uplift. Specific thanks is given for

Explosive Volcanic Activity at Extreme Depths: Evidence from the Charles Darwin Volcanic Field, Cape Verdes

Science.gov (United States)

Kwasnitschka, T.; Devey, C. W.; Hansteen, T. H.; Freundt, A.; Kutterolf, S.

2013-12-01

Volcanic eruptions on the deep sea floor have traditionally been assumed to be non-explosive as the high-pressure environment should greatly inhibit steam-driven explosions. Nevertheless, occasional evidence both from (generally slow-) spreading axes and intraplate seamounts has hinted at explosive activity at large water depths. Here we present evidence from a submarine field of volcanic cones and pit craters called Charles Darwin Volcanic Field located at about 3600 m depth on the lower southwestern slope of the Cape Verdean Island of Santo Antão. We examined two of these submarine volcanic edifices (Tambor and Kolá), each featuring a pit crater of 1 km diameter, using photogrammetric reconstructions derived from ROV-based imaging followed by 3D quantification using a novel remote sensing workflow, aided by sampling. The measured and calculated parameters of physical volcanology derived from the 3D model allow us, for the first time, to make quantitative statements about volcanic processes on the deep seafloor similar to those generated from land-based field observations. Tambor cone, which is 2500 m wide and 250 m high, consists of dense, probably monogenetic medium to coarse-grained volcaniclastic and pyroclastic rocks that are highly fragmented, probably as a result of thermal and viscous granulation upon contact with seawater during several consecutive cycles of activity. Tangential joints in the outcrops indicate subsidence of the crater floor after primary emplacement. Kolá crater, which is 1000 m wide and 160 m deep, appears to have been excavated in the surrounding seafloor and shows stepwise sagging features interpreted as ring fractures on the inner flanks. Lithologically, it is made up of a complicated succession of highly fragmented deposits, including spheroidal juvenile lapilli, likely formed by spray granulation. It resembles a maar-type deposit found on land. The eruption apparently entrained blocks of MORB-type gabbroic country rocks with

Nd and Sr isotopes and K-Ar ages of the Ulreungdo alkali volcanic rocks in the East Sea, South Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim Kyuhan; Jang Sunkyung; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi; Nagao, Keisuke

1999-01-01

Temporal geochemical and isotopical variations in the Ulreundgo alkali volcanic rocks provide important constraints on the origin and evolution of the volcanic rocks in relation to backarc basin tectonism. We determined the K-Ar ages, major and trace element contents, and Nd and Sr isotopic rations of the alkali volcanic rocks. The activities of Ulreungdo volcanoes can be divided, on the basis of radiometric ages and field occurrences, into five stages, though their activities range from 1.4 Ma to 0.01 Ma with short volcanic hiatus (ca. 0.05-0.3 Ma). The Nd-Sr isotopic data for Ulreungdo volcanic rocks enable us to conclude that: (1) the source materials of Ulreungdo volcanics are isotopically heterogeneous in composition, which is explained by the mixing of mantle derived magma and continental crustal source rocks. There is no systematic isotopic variations with eruption stages. Particularly, some volcanic rocks of stage 2 and 3 have extremely wide initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic variations ranging from 0.7038 to 0.7092, which are influenced by seawater alterations; (2) the Ulreungdo volcanic rocks show EMI characteristic, while volcanic rocks from the Jejudo, Yeong-il and Jeon-gok areas have slightly depleted mantle source characteristics; (3) the trachyandesite of the latest eruption stage was originated from the mantle source materials which differ from other stages. A schematic isotopic evolution model for alkali basaltic magma is presented in the Ulreungdo volcanic island of the backarc basin of Japanese island arc system. (author)

Spatial and temporal variations of diffuse CO2 degassing at El Hierro volcanic system: Relation to the 2011-2012 submarine eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Melián, Gladys; Hernández, Pedro A.; Padrón, Eleazar; Pérez, Nemesio M.; Barrancos, José; Padilla, Germán.; Dionis, Samara; Rodríguez, Fátima; Calvo, David; Nolasco, Dacil

2014-09-01

We report herein the results of extensive diffuse CO2 emission surveys performed on El Hierro Island in the period 1998-2012. More than 17,000 measurements of the diffuse CO2 efflux were carried out, most of them during the volcanic unrest period that started in July 2011. Two significant precursory signals based on geochemical and geodetical studies suggest that a magma intrusion processes might have started before 2011 in El Hierro Island. During the preeruptive and eruptive periods, the time series of the diffuse CO2 emission released by the whole island experienced two significant increases. The first started almost 2 weeks before the onset of the submarine eruption, reflecting a clear geochemical anomaly in CO2 emission, most likely due to increasing release of deep-seated magmatic gases to the surface. The second one, between 24 October and 27 November 2011, started before the most energetic seismic events of the volcanic-seismic unrest. The data presented here demonstrate that combined continuous monitoring studies and discrete surveys of diffuse CO2 emission provide important information to optimize the early warning system in volcano monitoring programs and to monitor the evolution of an ongoing volcanic eruption, even though it is a submarine eruption.

Geology and zircon fission track ages of volcanic rocks in the western part of Hoshino gold area, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belhadi, Ahmed; Himeno, Osamu; Watanabe, Koichiro; Izawa, Eiji [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1999-12-01

The Hoshino gold area is located in the western part of the Hohi volcanic zone, northern Kyushu. Volcanic rocks in this area vary from andesitic rocks in the north to dacite and rhyolite in the South. The basement is constituted by metamorphic rocks of pre-Cretaceous age. The volcanic rocks of Pliocene age were subdivided into eight volcanic units. Seven fission track ages of zircons from five volcanic units have been determined, using the external detector method. The age data obtained, combined with some previously reported ages, show that two main volcanic activities have occurred in the area. The first volcanic activity took place around 4.3 Ma, and resulted into the deposition of the Hoshino Andesite and the Ikenoyama Conglomerate. The second main volcanism started around 3.5 Ma, and was characterized by the eruption of the Shakadake Andesite and the Reiganji Andesite at the early stage, then, by more acidic rocks of the Takeyama Andesite, the Hyugami Dacite and the Kuroki Rhyolite at the later stage. The main volcanism in the area ceased around 2.6 Ma. (author)

Nd and Sr isotopes and K-Ar ages of the Ulreungdo alkali volcanic rocks in the East Sea, South Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim Kyuhan; Jang Sunkyung [Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea); Tanaka, Tsuyoshi; Nagao, Keisuke

1999-07-01

Temporal geochemical and isotopical variations in the Ulreundgo alkali volcanic rocks provide important constraints on the origin and evolution of the volcanic rocks in relation to backarc basin tectonism. We determined the K-Ar ages, major and trace element contents, and Nd and Sr isotopic rations of the alkali volcanic rocks. The activities of Ulreungdo volcanoes can be divided, on the basis of radiometric ages and field occurrences, into five stages, though their activities range from 1.4 Ma to 0.01 Ma with short volcanic hiatus (ca. 0.05-0.3 Ma). The Nd-Sr isotopic data for Ulreungdo volcanic rocks enable us to conclude that: (1) the source materials of Ulreungdo volcanics are isotopically heterogeneous in composition, which is explained by the mixing of mantle derived magma and continental crustal source rocks. There is no systematic isotopic variations with eruption stages. Particularly, some volcanic rocks of stage 2 and 3 have extremely wide initial {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr isotopic variations ranging from 0.7038 to 0.7092, which are influenced by seawater alterations; (2) the Ulreungdo volcanic rocks show EMI characteristic, while volcanic rocks from the Jejudo, Yeong-il and Jeon-gok areas have slightly depleted mantle source characteristics; (3) the trachyandesite of the latest eruption stage was originated from the mantle source materials which differ from other stages. A schematic isotopic evolution model for alkali basaltic magma is presented in the Ulreungdo volcanic island of the backarc basin of Japanese island arc system. (author)

Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of Paleoproterozoic metavolcanic rocks from the southern Ashanti volcanic belt, Ghana

OpenAIRE

Dampare, Samuel; Shibata, Tsugio; Asiedu, Daniel; Okano, Osamu; Manu, Johnson; Sakyi, Patrick

2009-01-01

Neodymium (Nd) and strontium (Sr) isotopic data are presented for Paleoproterozoic metavolcanic rocks in the southern part of the Ashanti volcanic belt of Ghana. The metavolcanic rocks are predominantly basalts/basaltic andesites and andesites with minor dacites. Two types of basalts/basaltic andesites (B/A), Type I and Type II, have been identified. The Type I B/A are stratigraphically overlain by the Type II B/A, followed by the andesites and the dacites. The analyzed volcanic rocks commonl...

GIS database and discussion for the distribution, composition, and age of Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the Pacific Northwest Volcanic Aquifer System study area

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrod, David R.; Keith, Mackenzie K.

2018-03-30

A substantial part of the U.S. Pacific Northwest is underlain by Cenozoic volcanic and continental sedimentary rocks and, where widespread, these strata form important aquifers. The legacy geologic mapping presented with this report contains new thematic categorization added to state digital compilations published by the U.S. Geological Survey for Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Washington (Ludington and others, 2005). Our additional coding is designed to allow rapid characterization, mainly for hydrogeologic purposes, of similar rocks and deposits within a boundary expanded slightly beyond that of the Pacific Northwest Volcanic Aquifer System study area. To be useful for hydrogeologic analysis and to be more statistically manageable, statewide compilations from Ludington and others (2005) were mosaicked into a regional map and then reinterpreted into four main categories on the basis of (1) age, (2) composition, (3) hydrogeologic grouping, and (4) lithologic pattern. The coding scheme emphasizes Cenozoic volcanic or volcanic-related rocks and deposits, and of primary interest are the codings for composition and age.

Grains of Nonferrous and Noble Metals in Iron-Manganese Formations and Igneous Rocks of Submarine Elevations of the Sea of Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Kolesnik, O. N.; Astakhova, N. V.

2018-01-01

Iron-manganese formations and igneous rocks of submarine elevations in the Sea of Japan contain overlapping mineral phases (grains) with quite identical morphology, localization, and chemical composition. Most of the grains conform to oxides, intermetallic compounds, native elements, sulfides, and sulfates in terms of the set of nonferrous, noble, and certain other metals (Cu, Zn, Sn, Pb, Ni, Mo, Ag, Pd, and Pt). The main conclusion that postvolcanic hydrothermal fluids are the key sources of metals is based upon a comparison of the data of electron microprobe analysis of iron-manganese formations and igneous rocks dredged at the same submarine elevations in the Sea of Japan.

A simple source preparation method for alpha-ray spectrometry of volcanic rock sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Masaomi; Kurihara, Yuichi; Sato, Jun

2006-01-01

A simple source preparation method was developed for the alpha-ray spectrometry to determine U and Th in volcanic rockes. Isolation of U and Th from volcanic rocks was made by use of UTEVA-Spec. resin, extraction chromatograph material. U and Th were extracted by TTA-benzene solution and organic phase was evaporated drop by drop on a hot stainless steel planchet to dryness. This method was found to be effective for the preparation of sources for alpha-ray spectrometry. (author)

Uranium occurrences in the volcanic rocks of Upper Mahakam, east Kalimantan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djokolelono, S.; Agoes, E.

1988-01-01

The Kawat area, which is about 35 km 2 in size, is located in the Upper Mahakam region and is one of the areas being prospected in Kalimantan. It has already been covered by general, detailed and systematic prospection. The Kawat area formed a tectonical depression and was intercepted by the volcanic products of various episodes. The regional stratigraphy of this area, from the bottom upwards, is as follows: Unit 1: quartzite and ophiolitic green rock; Unit 2: black shale, sometimes with boulders of quartzite and radiolarite; Unit 3: massive conglomeratic sandstone, alternating with claystone and sandstone sequences; Unit 4: sandstone, siltstone and claystone, with an intercalation of volcanic rocks. Uraniferous occurrences are reflected by anomalous zones located in the volcanic facies of Unit 4, usually in aphanitic rhyolite. Mineralization consists of pitchblende associated with molybdenite and pyrite. Although the Kawat area is very remote, future development is of great interest. (author). 4 figs

Mineral Chemistry and Geochemistry of Volcanic Rocks in The North of Pasinler (Erzurum

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Oktay KILIÇ

2009-02-01

Full Text Available In the north of Pasinler (Erzurum, Upper Miocene-Pliocene volcanic rocks crop out. These volcanites are composed of basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, rhyolite lavas and rhyolitic pyroclastics. The rocks show porphyritic, microlitic porphyritic, hyalo-microlitic porphyritic, vitrophyric, glomeroporphyritic, pilotaxitic and hyalopilitic textures. The investigated volcanites contain plagioclase (An29-80, olivine (Fo65-82, clinopyroxene (augite, orthopyroxene (enstatite, amphibole (Mg#: 0.57-0.71, biotite (phlogopite: 0.44-0.47, annite: 0.33-0.37, sanidine, quartz and opaque mineral (titano-magnetite and ilmenite. The volcanic rocks are calc-alkaline in character and have medium to high-K contents. Major oxide and trace element variations point out open-system magmatic differentiation in the evolution of rocks. Geochemical data indicate an important role of fractionation of phenocryst phases in the rocks during differentiation process. However, it is considered that assimilation±magma mixing might have accompanied to the process. High LILE (K, Rb, Ba, Th and relatively low HFSE (Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr contents of the rocks indicate that these rocks derived from parental magmas carrying subduction signature.

K-Ar ages for the Yahazudake volcanic rocks from southwest Kyushu, Japan; Kyushu nanseibu yahazudake kazanganrui no K-Ar nendai

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokose, H.; Kikuchi, W. [Kumamoto Univ. (Japan)] Nagao, K. [Okayama Univ. (Japan)264000] Kodama, K. [Kochi Univ. (Japan)

1998-05-05

Many volcanic rocks, seemed to be erupted during the period from the Pliocene epoch to the Pleistocene epoch, are distributed abounding in Kyushu, Japan. In this study, K-Ar ages determination about the 4 samples which represents the Hisatsu volcanic rocks distributed around Yahazudake and rhyolite distributed in Gesujima placed in the southernmost extremity of Amakusa Shimojima, was conducted. And consideration of time/space distribution of the Hisatsu volcanic rocks upon collecting the data which were reported until now and the data obtained by the present K-Ar age determination, was done. In the result of the present measurement, the absolute age of the Hisatsu volcanic rocks distributed around Minamata-shi became clear. I was clarified that Yahazudake volcanic rocks consisted of andesite, which is comparatively lacking in potassium, were formed during about 100 thousand years from 1.98 to 2.08 Ma, and Ontake volcanic rocks which exists for the bottom erupted at about 2.15 Ma. And, the age value of 2.89 Ma was obtained from Ushibuka rhyolite distributed in Gesujima. 35 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

Is there a geochemical link between volcanic and plutonic rocks in the Organ Mountains caldera?

Science.gov (United States)

Memeti, V.; Davidson, J.

2013-12-01

Results from separate volcanic and plutonic studies have led to inconsistent conclusions regarding the origins and thus links between volcanic and plutonic systems in continental arcs and the magmatic processes and time scales responsible for their compositional variations. Some have suggested that there is a geochemical and geochronological disconnect between volcanic and plutonic rocks and hence have questioned the existence of magma mush columns beneath active volcanoes. Investigating contemporary volcanic and plutonic rocks that are spatially connected is thus critical in exploring these issues. The ca. 36 Ma Organ Mountains caldera in New Mexico, USA, represents such a system exposing contemporaneous volcanic and plutonic rocks juxtaposed at the surface due to tilting during extensional tectonics along the Rio Grande Rift. Detailed geologic and structural mapping [1] and 40Ar/39Ar ages of both volcanics and plutons [2] demonstrate the spatial and temporal connection of both rock types with active magmatism over >2.5 myr. Three caldera-forming ignimbrites erupted within 600 kyr [2] from this system with a total erupted volume of 500-1,000 km3 as well as less voluminous pre- and post-caldera trachyte and andesite lavas. The ignimbrite sequence ranges from a crystal-poor, high-SiO2 rhyolite at the base to a more crystal-rich, low-SiO2 rhyolite at the top. Compositional zoning with quartz-monzonite at the base grading to syenite and alaskite at the top is also found in the Organ Needle pluton, the main intrusion, which is interpreted to be the source for the ignimbrites [1]. Other contemporaneous and slightly younger plutons have dioritic to leucogranitic compositions. We examined both volcanic and plutonic rocks with petrography and their textural variations with color cathodoluminescence, and used whole rock element and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope geochemistry to constrain magma compositions and origins. Electron microprobe analyses on feldspars have been completed to

A preliminary evaluation of volcanic rock powder for application in agriculture as soil a remineralizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos, Claudete G.; Querol, Xavier; Oliveira, Marcos L.S.; Pires, Karen; Kautzmann, Rubens M.; Oliveira, Luis F.S.

2015-01-01

Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of volcanic rock residue, from a crushing plant in the Nova Prata Mining District, State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, in this work named rock powder, were investigated in view of its potential application as soil ammendment in agriculture. Abaut 52,400 m 3 of mining waste is generated annually in the city of Nova Prata without a proper disposal. The nutrients potentially available to plants were evaluated through leaching laboratory tests. Nutrient leaching tests were performed in Milli-Q water; citric acid solution 1% and 2% (AC); and oxalic acid solution 1% and 5% (AO). The bulk and leachable contents of 57 elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Mining waste were made up by CaO, K 2 O, SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and P 2 O 5 . The analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the major occurence of quartz, anorthite, cristobalite, sanidine, and augite. The water leachable concentrations of all elements studied were lower than 1.0 mg/kg, indicating their low solubility. Leaching tests in acidic media yield larger leachable fractions for all elements being studied are in the leachate of the AO 1%. These date usefulness of volcanic rock powder as potential natural fertilizer in agriculture in the mining district in Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. - Highlights: • Volcanic rock powder as fertilizer in agriculture • Volcanic rock powder as a source of nutrients to plants • This technology may favor the use of volcanic rock in agriculture

Correlations between silicic volcanic rocks of the St Mary's Islands (southwestern India) and eastern Madagascar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melluso, Leone; Sheth, Hetu C.; Mahoney, John J.

2009-01-01

The St Mary's, Islands (southwestern India) expose silicic volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks (rhyolites and granophyric dacites) emplaced contemporaneously with the Cretaceous igneous province of Madagascar, roughly 88-90 Ma ago. I he St Mary's Islands rocks have phenocrysts of plagioclase...... and isotopic Compositions very close to those of rhyolites exposed between Vatomandry Ilaka and Mananjary in eastern Madagascar, and are distinctly different from rhyolites front other sectors of the Madagascan province. We therefore postulate that the St Mary's and the Vatomandry-Ilaka Mananjary silicic rock...

Assessment and Evaluation of Volcanic Rocks Used as Construction ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment and Evaluation of Volcanic Rocks Used as Construction Materials in the City of Addis Ababa. ... So, field observation and sample collection for laboratory investigations were conducted on six selected target areas of the city periphery. In doing so, the compressive strength, open porosity, water absorption and ...

Submarine Salt Karst Terrains

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Nico Augustin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Karst terrains that develop in bodies of rock salt (taken as mainly of halite, NaCl are special not only for developing in one of the most soluble of all rocks, but also for developing in one of the weakest rocks. Salt is so weak that many surface-piercing salt diapirs extrude slow fountains of salt that that gravity spread downslope over deserts on land and over sea floors. Salt fountains in the deserts of Iran are usually so dry that they flow at only a few cm/yr but the few rain storms a decade so soak and weaken them that they surge at dm/day for a few days. We illustrate the only case where the rates at which different parts of one of the many tens of subaerial salt karst terrains in Iran flows downslope constrains the rates at which its subaerial salt karst terrains form. Normal seawater is only 10% saturated in NaCl. It should therefore be sufficiently aggressive to erode karst terrains into exposures of salt on the thousands of known submarine salt extrusions that have flowed or are still flowing over the floors of hundreds of submarine basins worldwide. However, we know of no attempt to constrain the processes that form submarine salt karst terrains on any of these of submarine salt extrusions. As on land, many potential submarine karst terrains are cloaked by clastic and pelagic sediments that are often hundreds of m thick. Nevertheless, detailed geophysical and bathymetric surveys have already mapped likely submarine salt karst terrains in at least the Gulf of Mexico, and the Red Sea. New images of these two areas are offered as clear evidence of submarine salt dissolution due to sinking or rising aggressive fluids. We suggest that repeated 3D surveys of distinctive features (± fixed seismic reflectors of such terrains could measure any downslope salt flow and thus offer an exceptional opportunity to constrain the rates at which submarine salt karst terrains develop. Such rates are of interest to all salt tectonicians and the many

Petrography, Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Volcanic Rocks, NW Ghonabad, Iran

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Sedigheh Zirjanizadeh

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction The study area is located in NW Gonabad, Razavi Khorasan Province, northern Lut block and eastern Iran north of the Lut Block. Magmatism in NW Gonabad produced plutonic and volcanic rock associations with varying geochemical compositions. These rocks are related to the Cenozoic magmatic rocks in Iran and belong to the Lut Block volcanic–plutonic belt. In this study, petrogenesis of volcanic units in northwest Gonabad was investigated. The volcanic rocks are andesites/trachyandesites, rhyolites, dacites/ rhyodacites and pyroclastics.These rocks show porphyritic, trachytic and embayed textures in phenocrysts with plagioclase, sanidine and quartz (most notably in dacite and rhyolite, hornblende and rare biotite. The most important alteration zones are propylitic, silicification and argillic.Four kaolinite- bearing clay deposits have been located in areas affectedby hydrothermal alteration of Eocene rhyolite, dacite and rhyodacite. Analytical techniques Five samples were analyzed for major elements by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF and six samples were analyzed for trace elements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS in the Acme Laboratories, Vancouver (Canada.Sr and Nd isotopic compositions were determined for four whole-rock samples at the Laboratório de GeologiaIsotópica da Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Results Petrography. The rocks in this area are consist of trachyte, andesite/ trachyandesite, dacite/ rhyodacite, principally as ignimbrites and soft tuff. The textures of phenocrysts are mainly porphyritic, glomerophyric, trachytic and embayed textures in plagioclase, hornblende and biotite. The groundmasses consist of plagioclase and fine-grainedcrystals of hornblende. Plagioclase phenocrysts and microlitesare by far the most abundant textures in andesite - trachyandesites (>25% and in size from 0.01 to 0.1mm. Euhedral to subhedral hornblende phenocrysts areabundant (3-5%and 0.1 to 0

Origin of the ca. 50 Ma Linzizong shoshonitic volcanic rocks in the eastern Gangdese arc, southern Tibet

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, An-Lin; Wang, Qing; Zhu, Di-Cheng; Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Liu, Sheng-Ao; Wang, Rui; Dai, Jin-Gen; Zheng, Yuan-Chuan; Zhang, Liang-Liang

2018-04-01

The origin of the Eocene shoshonitic rocks within the upper part of the extensive Linzizong volcanic succession (i.e., the Pana Formation) in the Gangdese arc, southern Tibet remains unclear, inhibiting the detailed investigations on the crust-mantle interaction and mantle dynamics that operate the generation of the coeval magmatic flare-up in the arc. We report mineral composition, zircon U-Pb age and zircon Hf isotope, whole-rock element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope data for the Pana Formation volcanic rocks from Pangduo, eastern Gangdese arc in southern Tibet. The Pana volcanic rocks from Pangduo include basalts, basaltic andesites, and dacites. SIMS and LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the Pangduo dacites were erupted at 50 ± 1 Ma, representing the volcanic equivalent of the coeval Gangdese Batholith that define a magmatic flare-up at 51 ± 1 Ma. The Pangduo volcanic rocks are exclusively shoshonitic, differing from typical subduction-related calc-alkaline volcanic rocks. The basalts have positive whole-rock ƐNd(t) (+1.7) and ƐHf(t) (+3.8) with high Zr abundances (121-169 ppm) and Zr/Y ratios (4.3-5.2), most likely derived from the partial melting of an enriched garnet-bearing lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by subduction-related components with input from asthenosphere. Compared to the basalts, similar trace elemental patterns and decreased whole-rock ƐNd(t) (-3.5 to -3.3) and ƐHf(t) (-2.5 to -1.6) of the basaltic andesites can be attributed to the input of the ancient basement-derived material of the central Lhasa subterrane into the basaltic magmas. The coherent whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions ((87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7064-0.7069, ƐNd(t) = -6.0 to -5.2, ƐHf(t) = -5.6 to -5.0) and varying zircon ƐHf(t) (-6.0 to +4.1) of the dacites can be interpreted by the partial melting of a hybrid lower crust source (juvenile and ancient lower crust) with incorporation of basement-derived components. Calculations of zircon-Ti temperature and whole-rock

A preliminary evaluation of volcanic rock powder for application in agriculture as soil a remineralizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos, Claudete G., E-mail: claudeterms@brturbo.com.br [Laboratory of Environmental Researches and Nanotechnology Development, Centro Universitário La Salle, Mestrado em Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais, Victor Barreto, 2288 Centro, 92010-000 Canoas, RS (Brazil); Querol, Xavier [Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA-CSIC), C/Luis Solé y Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Oliveira, Marcos L.S. [Laboratory of Environmental Researches and Nanotechnology Development, Centro Universitário La Salle, Mestrado em Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais, Victor Barreto, 2288 Centro, 92010-000 Canoas, RS (Brazil); Pires, Karen [Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral (DNPM), Washington Luiz, 815, Centro, 90010-460 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Kautzmann, Rubens M. [Laboratory of Environmental Researches and Nanotechnology Development, Centro Universitário La Salle, Mestrado em Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais, Victor Barreto, 2288 Centro, 92010-000 Canoas, RS (Brazil); Oliveira, Luis F.S., E-mail: felipeqma@hotmail.com [Laboratory of Environmental Researches and Nanotechnology Development, Centro Universitário La Salle, Mestrado em Avaliação de Impactos Ambientais, Victor Barreto, 2288 Centro, 92010-000 Canoas, RS (Brazil)

2015-04-15

Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of volcanic rock residue, from a crushing plant in the Nova Prata Mining District, State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, in this work named rock powder, were investigated in view of its potential application as soil ammendment in agriculture. Abaut 52,400 m{sup 3} of mining waste is generated annually in the city of Nova Prata without a proper disposal. The nutrients potentially available to plants were evaluated through leaching laboratory tests. Nutrient leaching tests were performed in Milli-Q water; citric acid solution 1% and 2% (AC); and oxalic acid solution 1% and 5% (AO). The bulk and leachable contents of 57 elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Mining waste were made up by CaO, K{sub 2}O, SiO{sub 2}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and P{sub 2}O{sub 5}. The analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the major occurence of quartz, anorthite, cristobalite, sanidine, and augite. The water leachable concentrations of all elements studied were lower than 1.0 mg/kg, indicating their low solubility. Leaching tests in acidic media yield larger leachable fractions for all elements being studied are in the leachate of the AO 1%. These date usefulness of volcanic rock powder as potential natural fertilizer in agriculture in the mining district in Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. - Highlights: • Volcanic rock powder as fertilizer in agriculture • Volcanic rock powder as a source of nutrients to plants • This technology may favor the use of volcanic rock in agriculture.

40Ar/39Ar ages of the post-collision volcanic rocks and their geological significance in Yangyingxiang area, south Tibet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Su; Mo Xuanxue; Zhao Zhidan; Zhang Shuangquan; Guo Tieying; Qiu Ruizhao

2003-01-01

Ten new 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determination of mineral separates have been carried out to date volcanic rocks of Yangyingxiang in the eastern part of the Gangdese, Tibet. The age range of Sanidine and biotite in the five volcanic rock samples from the Yangyingxiang is 10.68 ± 0.05 - 11.42 ± 0.09 Ma. These results, combining with the previously published data, confirmed that Neogene post-collision volcanic rocks in the Gangdese widely occurred and their ages were getting younger eastwards. These volcanic rocks are different from those in Pana Formation of Linzizhong group (52.9 ± 2 Ma) outside Yangyingxiang geothermal field. (authors)

Petrogenesis of volcanic rocks that host the world-class Agsbnd Pb Navidad District, North Patagonian Massif: Comparison with the Jurassic Chon Aike Volcanic Province of Patagonia, Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Bouhier, Verónica E.; Franchini, Marta B.; Caffe, Pablo J.; Maydagán, Laura; Rapela, Carlos W.; Paolini, Marcelo

2017-05-01

We present the first study of the volcanic rocks of the Cañadón Asfalto Formation that host the Navidad world-class Ag + Pb epithermal district located in the North Patagonian Massif, Patagonia, Argentina. These volcanic and sedimentary rocks were deposited in a lacustrine environment during an extensional tectonic regime associated with the breakup of Gondwana and represent the mafic to intermediate counterparts of the mainly silicic Jurassic Chon Aike Volcanic Province. Lava flows surrounded by autobrecciated carapace were extruded in subaerial conditions, whereas hyaloclastite and peperite facies suggest contemporaneous subaqueous volcanism and sedimentation. LA-ICPMS Usbnd Pb ages of zircon crystals from the volcanic units yielded Middle Jurassic ages of 173.9 ± 1.9 Ma and 170.8 ± 3 Ma. In the Navidad district, volcanic rocks of the Cañadón Asfalto Formation show arc-like signatures including high-K basaltic-andesite to high-K dacite compositions, Rb, Ba and Th enrichment relative to the less mobile HFS elements (Nb, Ta), enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE), Ysbnd Ti depletion, and high Zr contents. These characteristics could be explained by assimilation of crustal rocks in the Jurassic magmas, which is also supported by the presence of zircon xenocrysts with Permian and Middle-Upper Triassic ages (281.3 Ma, 246.5, 218.1, and 201.3 Ma) and quartz xenocrysts recognized in these volcanic units. Furthermore, Sr and Nd isotope compositions suggest a contribution of crustal components in these Middle Jurassic magmas. High-K basaltic andesite has initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70416-0.70658 and ξNd(t) values of -5.3 and -4. High-K dacite and andesite have initial 87Sr/86Sr compositions of 0.70584-0.70601 and ξNd(t) values of -4,1 and -3,2. The range of Pb isotope values (206Pb/204Pb = 18.28-18.37, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.61-15.62, and 208Pb/204Pb = 38.26-38.43) of Navidad volcanic rocks and ore minerals suggest mixing Pb sources with contributions of

Geochemical of trace elements in volcanics rocks Peninsula Fildes, Fildes Bay Rey Jorge island, south Shetland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masquelin, H.; Vaz Chavez, N.

1987-01-01

The authors present some geochemical data derived from the multielement analysis of three different types of volcanic rocks collected around Fildes Bay on King George Island, South Shetland. Volcanic rocks from Fildes Peninsula Group may be distinguished from those Marian Cove by their hydrothermal alteration. Apparently the correlation between NI ands Cr allows for the observation of the stratigraphic separation of samples of the same kind. Consequently, the correlation between Cu and As show a distinction between Marian Cove propylitised tuffites and both Brecciated Andesites and pyroclastic rock from Fildes Peninsula Group.

Magmatic evolution of Panama Canal volcanic rocks: A record of arc processes and tectonic change.

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David W Farris

Full Text Available Volcanic rocks along the Panama Canal present a world-class opportunity to examine the relationship between arc magmatism, tectonic forcing, wet and dry magmas, and volcanic structures. Major and trace element geochemistry of Canal volcanic rocks indicate a significant petrologic transition at 21-25 Ma. Oligocene Bas Obispo Fm. rocks have large negative Nb-Ta anomalies, low HREE, fluid mobile element enrichments, a THI of 0.88, and a H2Ocalc of >3 wt. %. In contrast, the Miocene Pedro Miguel and Late Basalt Fm. exhibit reduced Nb-Ta anomalies, flattened REE curves, depleted fluid mobile elements, a THI of 1.45, a H2Ocalc of <1 wt. %, and plot in mid-ocean ridge/back-arc basin fields. Geochemical modeling of Miocene rocks indicates 0.5-0.1 kbar crystallization depths of hot (1100-1190°C magmas in which most compositional diversity can be explained by fractional crystallization (F = 0.5. However, the most silicic lavas (Las Cascadas Fm. require an additional mechanism, and assimilation-fractional-crystallization can reproduce observed compositions at reasonable melt fractions. The Canal volcanic rocks, therefore, change from hydrous basaltic pyroclastic deposits typical of mantle-wedge-derived magmas, to hot, dry bi-modal magmatism at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. We suggest the primary reason for the change is onset of arc perpendicular extension localized to central Panama. High-resolution mapping along the Panama Canal has revealed a sequence of inward dipping maar-diatreme pyroclastic pipes, large basaltic sills, and bedded silicic ignimbrites and tuff deposits. These volcanic bodies intrude into the sedimentary Canal Basin and are cut by normal and subsequently strike-slip faults. Such pyroclastic pipes and basaltic sills are most common in extensional arc and large igneous province environments. Overall, the change in volcanic edifice form and geochemistry are related to onset of arc perpendicular extension, and are consistent with the

Magmatic evolution of Panama Canal volcanic rocks: A record of arc processes and tectonic change

Science.gov (United States)

Cardona, Agustin; Montes, Camilo; Foster, David; Jaramillo, Carlos

2017-01-01

Volcanic rocks along the Panama Canal present a world-class opportunity to examine the relationship between arc magmatism, tectonic forcing, wet and dry magmas, and volcanic structures. Major and trace element geochemistry of Canal volcanic rocks indicate a significant petrologic transition at 21–25 Ma. Oligocene Bas Obispo Fm. rocks have large negative Nb-Ta anomalies, low HREE, fluid mobile element enrichments, a THI of 0.88, and a H2Ocalc of >3 wt. %. In contrast, the Miocene Pedro Miguel and Late Basalt Fm. exhibit reduced Nb-Ta anomalies, flattened REE curves, depleted fluid mobile elements, a THI of 1.45, a H2Ocalc of arc basin fields. Geochemical modeling of Miocene rocks indicates 0.5–0.1 kbar crystallization depths of hot (1100–1190°C) magmas in which most compositional diversity can be explained by fractional crystallization (F = 0.5). However, the most silicic lavas (Las Cascadas Fm.) require an additional mechanism, and assimilation-fractional-crystallization can reproduce observed compositions at reasonable melt fractions. The Canal volcanic rocks, therefore, change from hydrous basaltic pyroclastic deposits typical of mantle-wedge-derived magmas, to hot, dry bi-modal magmatism at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. We suggest the primary reason for the change is onset of arc perpendicular extension localized to central Panama. High-resolution mapping along the Panama Canal has revealed a sequence of inward dipping maar-diatreme pyroclastic pipes, large basaltic sills, and bedded silicic ignimbrites and tuff deposits. These volcanic bodies intrude into the sedimentary Canal Basin and are cut by normal and subsequently strike-slip faults. Such pyroclastic pipes and basaltic sills are most common in extensional arc and large igneous province environments. Overall, the change in volcanic edifice form and geochemistry are related to onset of arc perpendicular extension, and are consistent with the idea that Panama arc crust fractured during collision

Ejection age of volcano rocks and trend of volcanic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakaguchi, Keiichi

1987-10-01

This report is II-7 of an interim report on research and development of the Sunshine Project for 1986. This report considers on the trend of volcanic activities in the South of Kyushu area. K-Ar age measurement was newly made and reported. Age values obtained were 1.09 plus minus 0.21 Ma for Nagaoyama andesite, 1.33 plus minus 0.18 Ma for Nozato andesite, and 0.3 plus minus 0.1 Ma for Imuta volcanos. Including these age values, from the age values and their distribution of the volcanic rocks in the South Kyushu district, the following three districts were selected to represent the volcanic activities since the Pliocene Epoch. As these districts are mutually overwrapped, verification at these overwrapped districts are necessary. (4 figs, 1 tab, 12 refs)

In situ Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy as a tool to discriminate volcanic rocks and magmatic series, Iceland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roux, C.P.M., E-mail: clement.roux@u-bourgogne.fr [Laboratoire interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université de Bourgogne, BP 47 870, F-21078 Dijon Cedex (France); Rakovský, J.; Musset, O. [Laboratoire interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université de Bourgogne, BP 47 870, F-21078 Dijon Cedex (France); Monna, F. [Laboratoire ARTéHIS, UMR 6298 CNRS-Université de Bourgogne, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21000 Dijon (France); Buoncristiani, J.-F.; Pellenard, P.; Thomazo, C. [Laboratoire Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS-Université de Bourgogne, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21000 Dijon (France)

2015-01-01

This study evaluates the potentialities of a lab-made pLIBS (portable Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) to sort volcanic rocks belonging to various magmatic series. An in-situ chemical analysis of 19 atomic lines, including Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Si, Sr and Ti, from 21 sampled rocks was performed during a field exploration in Iceland. Iceland was chosen both for the various typologies of volcanic rocks and the rugged conditions in the field in order to test the sturdiness of the pLIPS. Elemental compositions were also measured using laboratory ICP-AES measurements on the same samples. Based on these latter results, which can be used to identify three different groups of volcanic rocks, a classification model was built in order to sort pLIBS data and to categorize unknown samples. Using a reliable statistical scheme applied to LIBS compositional data, the classification capability of the pLIBS system is clearly demonstrated (90–100% success rate). Although this prototype does not provide quantitative measurements, its use should be of particular interest for future geological field investigations. - Highlights: • Portable LIBS applied to field geology • Fast semi-quantitative geochemical analysis of volcanic rocks and magmatic series • Discriminant analysis and statistical treatments for LIBS compositional data.

Strontium isotopic ratios of Tertiary volcanic rocks of northeastern Honshu, Japan: implication for the spreading of the Japan Sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurasawa, Hajime; Konda, Tadashi.

1986-01-01

Strontium isotopic ratios of sixty-seven Tertiary volcanic rocks from the northeastern Honshu, Japan, were determined for the purpose of examining the genesis among the volcanic rocks. Two distince suites of volcanic rocks occur in the northeastern Honshu; the rocks older than 16 Ma (Monzen-Daijima Stege) of predominantly intermediate composition and the rocks younger than 16 Ma (Nishikurosawa-Funakawa Stege) with bimodal suite of mafic and felsic composition. Initial values of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr in the Teriary volcanic rocks from the northeastern Honshu, lie in the range from 0.7033 to 0.7068. High ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) I ratios are observed for the rocks older than 16 Ma from the Japan Sea side (H zone). It is noteworthy that the rocks younger than 16 Ma show significantly lower ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) I ratios in the Dewa Hill, Japan Sea coast and North Akita areas in the northeastern Honshu (L zone). The rocks younger than 16 Ma from the L zone can also be interpreted as having been originated as a mantle-diapir associated with the spreading of the Japan Sea basin. If the basaltic magma was formed from the diapir, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio would be close to the range from 0.7033 to 0.7037 as the low-Sr isotopic ratio zone (L zone) in the northeastern Honshu, Japan. (author)

The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of felsic volcanic rocks and its geological significance from yutian group in southern jiangxi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Chunyu; Wu Jianhua

2010-01-01

Past researches have showed that the Rb-Sr isochron ages of felsic end member for r hyolite-basalt b imodal volcanic rocks of Yutian Group in the Changpu and Longnan Basin in Southern Jiangxi Province are 175 ∼ 148 Ma, not only does its amplitude change more significantly, but it does not match with the Rb-Sr isochron ages (179 ∼ 173 Ma) of basic end member. As a result, I choose a method of zircon U-Pb dating with a higher accuracy, to obtain the rhyolite in the bottom of bimodal volcanic rocks in the Changpu Basin and the dacite in the top of of bimodal volcanic rocks in the Longnan Basin, whose zircon SHIRMP U-Pb age are respectively (195.2 ± 2.8) Ma and (191 ± 1.7) Ma. What's more, they are both almost the same in the error limit. It shows that the bimodal volcanic rocks in these both two basins are the product of the same session of magma movement. Simultaneously, it explains they form in a flash during the eruption intervals. According to the the newest International Stratigraphic Chart (Gradsrein et al. , 2004), in terms of geological age, the bimodal volcanic rocks in Changpu Basin and Longnan Basin, belonging to the early Early Jurassic. The zircon SHIRMP U-Pb age are distinctly older than the whole-rock Rb-Sr isochron age, it is probably because of the deviation of the dating method for the wholerock Rb-Sr isochron age. The zircon SHIRMP U-Pb age of bimodal volcanic rocks are 191 ∼ 195 Ma in Southern Jiangxi Province, which indicates that there had been an extensional environment. And after the bimodal volcanic activity, The zircon SHIRMP U-Pb age of felsic volcanic rocks are 145 ∼ 130 Ma. Both of the ages shows a as long as 45 Ma quiet period between 190 Ma and 145 Ma. It is unreasonable possible to interpreted by the single pattern of pacific plate subducting to eurasian plate. (authors)

Problems in the K-Ar dating of Quaternary volcanic rocks younger than 1 Ma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takaoka, Nobuo

1989-01-01

The assumption that the 40 Ar/ 36 Ar ratio of Ar trapped in volcanic rocks at eruption is atmospheric often gives a large systematic error in the K-Ar dating of Quaternary volcanic rocks younger than 1 Ma. There are two possible sources of error, the existence of excess Ar and mass-fractionated, initial Ar. The major source of excess Ar is supposed to be magma. The 40 Ar/ 36 Ar ratio for magmatic Ar in the North-East Japan arc is tentatively estimated to be 340±10 from measurements of Ar in large phenocrysts separated from Quaternary volcanic rocks. Separation of phenocrysts is the most effective to decrease the systematic error caused by excess Ar. The mass-fractionation of initial Ar should give the 38 Ar/ 36 Ar ratio which was changed from the atmospheric ratio. This can be checked by determining the 38 Ar/ 36 Ar ratio in samples. Since the systematic error caused by the mass-fractionated, initial Ar increases greatly with the increasing atmospheric Ar correction, it is important to correct the result for the mass-fractionation. Correction formulae are given. The error sources other than those mentioned above are uncertainty in the blank correction and instabilities in the sensitivity of spectrometer and the Ar isotopic ratio measurement. In order to increase accuracy of the K-Ar age obtained, to check the systematic errors by measuring samples together with standard samples is of great importance in the K-Ar dating of very young volcanic rocks. (author)

A new method for determining the uranium and thorium distribution in volcanic rock samples using solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misdaq, M.A.; Bakhchi, A.; Ktata, A.; Koutit, A.; Lamine, J.; Ait nouh, F.; Oufni, L.

2000-01-01

A method based on using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) CR- 39 and LR-115 type II and calculating the probabilities for the alpha particles emitted by the uranium and thorium series to reach and be registered on these films was utilized for uranium and thorium contents determination in various geological samples. The distribution of uranium and thorium in different volcanic rocks has been investigated using the track fission method. In this work, the uranium and thorium contents have been determined in different volcanic rock samples by using CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). The mean critical angles of etching of the solid state nuclear track detectors utilized have been calculated. A petrographical study of the volcanic rock thin layers studied has been conducted. The uranium and thorium distribution inside different rock thin layers has been studied. The mechanism of inclusion of the uranium and thorium nuclei inside the volcanic rock samples studied has been investigated. (author)

Petrology, Geochemistry and Tectonomagmatic Setting of Farmahin Volcanic Rocks (North of Arak

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Reza Zarei Sahamieh

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction The study area includes Alam Baghi, Vashaghan, Sar Band and Ghermez Cheshmeh and is located in the northeast of Farmahin and the southwest of Tafresh. Based on the structural subdivisions of Iran, the mentioned area is a part of Central Iran and the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt (Hajian, 1970. The studied volcanic rocks consist of trachybasalt, trachyandesite, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, rhyodacite, rhyolite, ignimbrite, tuff and tuffit in composition and in terms of age they belong to the middle and upper Eocene. It seems that the volcanic activities are related to folding and faulting in the studied area. On the other hand, in addition to causing orogenic activity, at the middle and upper Eocene (Ghasemi and Talbot, 2006, locally extensional regime has played a main role in volcanic eruption. Similar to this scenario happened in other areas such as Taft and Khizrabad in Central Iran (Zarei Sahamieh et al., 2008. Porphyritic, microlite porphyritic and microlitic are the main textures in these rocks. Mineralogically, they contain plagioclase, clinopyroxene, amphibole, quartz and biotite as the main minerals and zircon, apatite, and opaque minerals as accessories. Materials and methods The major and trace elements of mineral composition are determined by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA using a Cameca SX100 instrument in the Iran Mineral Processing Research Center (IMPRC. Moreover, the whole-rock major and some trace elements analyses for a few samples were obtained by X-ray fluorescence (XRF, using an ARL Advant-XP automated X-ray spectrometer. Results Based on EPMA analyses, plagioclase mineral in basaltic andesite and trachybasalt samples range from labradorite to bytownite in andesite and trachyandesite has oligoclase- andesine and in dacite, rhyodacite, rhyolite has an albite-oligoclase composition. In the Wo-En-Fs diagram, all clinopyroxenes show augitic and a lessor amount of clinoenstatite composition and in the Q

Nature and origin of secondary mineral coatings on volcanic rocks of the Black Mountain, Stonewall Mountain, and Kane Springs Wash volcanic centers, southern, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Taranik, James V.; Hsu, Liang C.; Spatz, David M.; Chenevey, Michael J.

1989-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: (1) genetic, spectral, and LANDSAT Thematic Mapper imagery relationship between desert varnish and tertiary volcanic host rocks, southern Nevada; (2) reconnaissance geologic mapping of the Kane Springs Wash Volcanic Center, Lincoln County, Nevada, using multispectral thermal infrared imagery; (3) interregional comparisons of desert varnish; and (4) airborne scanner (GERIS) imagery of the Kane Springs Wash Volcanic Center, Lincoln County, Nevada.

Stratigraphy and eruption age of the volcanic rocks in the west of Miyanoharu area, Kumamoto Prefecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamata, Hiroki

1985-01-01

The detailed stratigraphic survey, K-Ar age determinations and NRM measurements of the volcanic rocks in the west of Miyanoharu area revealed the volcanic history as follows: Hornblende andesite lava with plagioclase megacryst (Yoshinomoto lava) erupted during 2.8 - 2.5 Ma (Gauss normal epoch), accompanied by small amount of pyroclastic materials. After this eruption, Kamitarumizu hypersthene-augite andesite lava (1.7 - 1.3 Ma; reversed), Yabakei pyroclastic flow (0.99 Ma; Jaramillo normal event), Yamakogawa biotite rhyolite lava (0.9 Ma; reversed) and Daikanbo hypersthene-augite andesite lava (0.8 Ma; normal) erupted successively prior to the Aso-1 pyroclastic flow (0.3 - 0.4 Ma). Both the K-Ar ages and NRM data are consistent with the stratigraphic sequence (Fig. 2), which suggests that the activity of andesite and rhyolite is intercalated with each other during Pleistocene in the studied area. The compiled radiometric age data in the central-north Kyushu show that the age of volcanic activity that has previously been inferred as middle Miocene is of Pliocene, and its distribution is limited within the quadrilateral (60 km x 40 km) where the pre-Tertiary basement rocks are absent. The distribution of volcanic rocks is historically zonated such that the rocks of older age up to 5 Ma develop toward the outer rim of the quadrilateral, which coincides with the 0 mgal contour bordering the large low Bouguer anomaly. These facts suggest that the volcanic activity is remarkably relevant to the subsidence of this area, where the volcano-tectonic depression has been formed after 5 Ma to the present, and filled with lavas and pyroclastic materials with scarce sedimentary rocks in the tension stress field during Plio-Pleistocene age. (Kubozono, M.)

Dating and source determination of volcanic rocks from Khunik area (South of Birjand, South Khorasan using Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopes

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Somayeh Samiee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Khunik area is located in the south of Birjand, Khorasan province, in the eastern margin of Lut block. Tertiary volcanic rocks have andesite to trachy-andesite composition. Dating analyzing by Rb-Sr method on plagioclase and hornblende as well as whole-rock isochron method was performed on pyroxene-hornblende andesite rock unit. On this basis the emplacement age is Upper Paleocene (58±11 Ma. These rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr and εNd 0.7046-0.7049 and 2.16-3.12, respectively. According to isotopic data, volcanic rocks originated from depleted mantle and have the least crust contamination while it was fractionated. Geochemically, Khunik volcanic rocks have features typical of calk-alkaline to shoshonite and are metaluminous. Enrichment in LILEs and typical negative anomalies of Nb and Ti are evidences that the volcanic rocks formed in a subduction zone and active continental margin. Modeling suggests that these rocks were derived dominantly from 1–5% partial melting of a mainly spinel garnet lherzolite mantle source that is metasomatized by slab-derived fluid.

Stratigraphy and structure of volcanic rocks in drill hole USW-G1, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spengler, R.W.; Byers, F.M. Jr.; Warner, J.B.

1981-01-01

Detailed subsurface studies in connection with the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations program are being conducted to investigate the stratigraphic and structural features of volcanic rocks underlying Yucca Mountain, a volcanic highland situated along the western boundary of the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada. As part of this continuing effort, drill hole USW-G1 was cored from 292 ft to a depth of 6000 ft from March to August 1980. The stratigraphic section is composed of thick sequences of ash-flow tuff and volcanic breccia interbedded with subordinate amounts of fine- to coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks. All rocks are of Tertiary age and vary in composition from rhyolite to dacite. The 3005-ft level in the drill hole represents a significant demarcation between unaltered and altered volcanic rocks. For the most part, tuff units above 3005 ft appear devitrified and show little secondary alteration except within tuffaceous beds of Calico Hills, where the rock contains 60 to 80% zeolites. Below 3005 ft, most rocks show intermittent to pervasive alteration to clay minerals and zeolites. Examination of core for structural features revealed the presence of 61 shear fractures, 528 joints, and 4 conspicuous fault zones. Shear fractures mainly occurred in the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, flow breccia, and near fault zones. Nearly 88% of shear and joint surfaces show evidence of coatings. Approximately 40% of the fractures were categorized as completely healed. Rock quality characteristics as defined by the core index indicate that greater amounts of broken and lost core are commonly associated with (1) the densely welded zone of the Topopah Spring, (2) highly silicified zones, and (3) fault zones

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age and its significances of volcanic rocks from banshi basin in south jiangxi province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Baofeng; Wu Jianhua

2011-01-01

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating is applied to geochronological study for tuff of original Jilongzhang formation and rhyolite of original Banshi formation in Banshi basin, located in the Sannan (Longnan, Dingnan, Quannan) -Xunwu volcanic rocks belts in the south of Jiangxi. The result shows that zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age of the tuff is (142.5 ± 1.3) Ma and the age of the rhyolite is (131.4 ± 1.3) Ma. According to the latest international stratigraphic chart, the boundary between Jurassic and Cretaceous is (145.4 ± 4.0) Ma. So original Jilongzhang Formation and original Banshi Formation in Banshi basin were formed during early Early Cretaceous. The volcanic series in Banshi basin belongs to only one volcanic cycle. The features of the rock associations consistent with Wuyi group on the Xiajiang-Guangfeng volcanic rocks belts in the north of Jiangxi, so original Jilongzhang formation falls under E'huling formation and original Banshi formation falls under Shixi formation. (authors)

Some evidence of uranium in volcanic feldspar rocks in the state of Sonora

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marquina M, O. E. [Uranio Mexicano, Mexico City

1983-05-15

Description is given of four projects of exploration and survey for uranium associated with tertiary volcanic feldspar rocks importantly dispersed in the State of Sonora and being carried out by Uranium Mexicano.

Uranium mineralization in tertiary volcanic rocks of the Los Frailes formation (Bolivia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aparicio, A.

1981-01-01

The Los Frailes Formation, a 9000 km 2 area of Miocene-Pliocene age, contains uranium mineralization in acid tuffs, ignimbrites and lavas. Uranium also occurs in sedimentary rocks of various types and ages which outcrop in adjacent areas. So far the most extensive mineralization seems to be confined in volcanic pyroclastic rocks. Although the surface mineralization varies in grade from 0.01% to more than 2.5%, the average grade in the only deposit being mined (Cotaje) is 0.05% of U 3 O 8 . On the basis of the available data it is believed that certain leaching processes, during the last erosion cycle (Pliocene-Pleistocene) and under very humid conditions, brought about the mobilization of the uranium from the volcanic rocks in aqueous alkaline and calco-alkaline solutions circulating on the surface and underground. Uranium minerals were deposited, generally by chemical reduction, in tectonic zones and/or zones of high porosity. The common metallogenetic model in the western area, defined as the 'Sevaruyo uraniferous district', is exogenic and is characterized by epigenetic uranium occurrences and deposits formed by supergene enrichment. On the basis of their mechanism of formation, control of mineralization and mineral associations, these deposits are classified according to: those with strictly tectonic control, those with sedimentary control and those of mixed genetics. Recent discoveries in the eastern area of the volcanic complex give evidence of epigenetic mineralization, apparently linked with hypogene hydrothermal processes, in addition to exogenic mineralizations contained in rocks stratigraphically subjacent to the Los Frailes Formation. There is no intention of making an evaluation of the recently discovered resources since the studies and exploration are still at too early a stage to warrant prediction of their real potential. (author)

Petrology, Magnetic susceptibility, Tectonic setting and mineralization associated with Plutonic and Volcanic Rocks, Eastern Bajestan and Taherabad, Iran

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Malihe Ghoorchi

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Study area is located in district of Bajestan and Ferdows cities, NE of Iran. Structurally, this area is part of Lut block. The oldest exposed rocks, to the north of intrusive rocks and in Eastern Bajestan, are meta-chert, slate, quartzite, thin-bedded crystalline limestone and meta-argillite. The sedimentary units are: Sardar Formation (Carboniferous, Jamal Formation (Permian, Sorkh Shale and Shotori Formations (Triassic, carbonateous rocks (Cretaceous and lithostratigraphically equivalent to Kerman conglomerate (Cretaceous-Paleocene are exposed in this area. Based on relative age, magmatism in eastern Bajestan and Taherabad started after Late Cretaceous and it has been active and repeated during Tertiary time. At least, three episodes of volcanic activities are recognized in this area. The first stage was mainly volcanic flow with mafic composition and minor intermediate. The second episode was mainly intermediate in composition. The third stage was changed to acid-intermediate in composition. Since the plutonic rocks intruded the volcanic rocks, therefore they may be Oligo-Miocene age. Bajestan intrusive rocks are granite-granodiorite-quartz monzonite. Taherabad intrusive rocks are diorite-quartz diorite- monzonite-latite. Bajestan intrusive rocks are reduced type (ilmenite series and Taherabad intrusive rocks are oxidized type (magnetite series.Based on geochemical analysis including trace elements, REE and isotopic data, Bajestan intrusive rocks formed in continental collision zone and the magma has crustal origin. Taherabad intrusive rocks were formed in subduction zone and magma originated from oceanic crust. Taherabad intrusive rock has exploration potential for Cu-Au and pb.

Upper Carboniferous retroarc volcanism with submarine and subaerial facies at the western Gondwana margin of Argentina

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Koukharsky, M.; Kleiman, L.; Etcheverría, M.; Quenardelle, S.; Bercowski, F.

2009-04-01

During Late Carboniferous times a continental magmatic arc developed at the western margin of Gondwana in South America, as several marine sedimentary basins were formed at the same time in the retroarc region. North of 33°S, at Cordón Agua del Jagüel, Precordillera of Mendoza, Argentina, a volcanic sequence crops out which was emplaced in a submarine environment with some subaerial exposures, and it is intercalated in marine sediments of Agua del Jagüel Formation, which fills of one of these retroarc basins. This paper presents, for the first time, a facies analyses together with geochemical and isotopic data of this volcanic suite, suggesting its deposition in an ensialic retroarc marine basin. The volcanic succession comprises debris flows with either sedimentary or volcanic fragments, base surge, resedimented massive and laminated dacitic-andesitic hyaloclastite, pillow lava, basic hyaloclastite and dacitic-andesitic lavas and hyaloclastite facies. Its composition is bimodal, either basaltic or dacitic-andesitic. The geochemistry data indicate a subalkaline, low K calk-alkaline and metaluminous affinity. The geochemistry of the basalts points to an origin of the magmas from a depleted mantle source with some crustal contamination. Conversely, the geochemistry of the dacites-andesites shows an important participation of both crustal components and subduction related fluids. A different magmatic source for the basalts than for the dacites-andesites is also supported by Sr and Nd isotopic initial ratios and Nd model ages. The characteristics of this magmatic suite suggest its emplacement in an extensional setting probably associated with the presence of a steepened subduction zone at this latitude during Upper Carboniferous times.

Mineral chemistry and petrogenesis of the Gurgur Mount volcanic rocks (Northeast Takab

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Dariush Esmaeily

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Andesitic and andesitic-basaltic lavas are widespread over most of the ground surface of the Gurgur area altered mostly by the hydrothermal solutions. The main rock forming minerals in these rocks are plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine affected by the hydrothermal solutions. The altered rocks do contain minerals including calcite, sericite and chlorite. Given the results obtained and the mineral chemistry studies, the clinopyroxenes formed in the area are, chemically, calkalkaline and of diopside-augite type formed in subvolcanic to near surface levels contemporaneous with magma ascending. Plagioclase minerals show zoning textures and lie within the two andesine and albite-oligoclase fields. These units, in terms of total rock chemistry, are classified as the calk-alkaline volcanic rocks formed in the continental arcs. On the other hand, on the trace elements chondrite-normalized diagrams and enriched mantle-normalized multi- element diagrams, the LREE enrichment relative to the HREE is observed. The LILE (i.e. Rb, K and Th and the LREE (e.g. La, Ce and Nd show an enrichment in comparison to the HFSE (Zr, Hf, Nb, Yb, Y and Sm. Given the Nd/Th (1.42-1.15, Zr/Nb (12.27-21.22, Ba/La (18.64-29.77 as well as LILE enrichment associated with depletion in Nb, Ta and Ti, an environment related to the subduction zones can be proposed for the area under study. Moreover, the similarity between the REE distribution pattern and the incompatible elements point to the genetic relationship between these rocks. Finally, on the base of the obtained data, it can be concluded that the volcanic rocks in the Gurgur Mountain were likely formed during the extended magmatism of the Urumieh-Dokhtar in the Cenozoic.

Addressing submarine geohazards through scientific drilling

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Camerlenghi, A.

2009-04-01

Natural submarine geohazards (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, volcanic island flank collapses) are geological phenomena originating at or below the seafloor leading to a situation of risk for off-shore and on-shore structures and the coastal population. Addressing submarine geohazards means understanding their spatial and temporal variability, the pre-conditioning factors, their triggers, and the physical processes that control their evolution. Such scientific endeavour is nowadays considered by a large sector of the international scientific community as an obligation in order to contribute to the mitigation of the potentially destructive societal effects of submarine geohazards. The study of submarine geohazards requires a multi-disciplinary scientific approach: geohazards must be studied through their geological record; active processes must be monitored; geohazard evolution must be modelled. Ultimately, the information must be used for the assessment of vulnerability, risk analysis, and development of mitigation strategies. In contrast with the terrestrial environment, the oceanic environment is rather hostile to widespread and fast application of high-resolution remote sensing techniques, accessibility for visual inspection, sampling and installation of monitoring stations. Scientific Drilling through the IODP (including the related pre site-survey investigations, sampling, logging and in situ measurements capability, and as a platform for deployment of long term observatories at the surface and down-hole) can be viewed as the centre of gravity of an international, coordinated, multi-disciplinary scientific approach to address submarine geohazards. The IODP Initial Science Plan expiring in 2013 does not address openly geohazards among the program scientific objectives. Hazards are referred to mainly in relation to earthquakes and initiatives towards the understanding of seismogenesis. Notably, the only drilling initiative presently under way is the

Complex conductivity of volcanic rocks and the geophysical mapping of alteration in volcanoes

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Ghorbani, A.; Revil, A.; Coperey, A.; Soueid Ahmed, A.; Roque, S.; Heap, M. J.; Grandis, H.; Viveiros, F.

2018-05-01

Induced polarization measurements can be used to image alteration at the scale of volcanic edifices to a depth of few kilometers. Such a goal cannot be achieved with electrical conductivity alone, because too many textural and environmental parameters influence the electrical conductivity of volcanic rocks. We investigate the spectral induced polarization measurements (complex conductivity) in the frequency band 10 mHz-45 kHz of 85 core samples from five volcanoes: Merapi and Papandayan in Indonesia (32 samples), Furnas in Portugal (5 samples), Yellowstone in the USA (26 samples), and Whakaari (White Island) in New Zealand (22 samples). This collection of samples covers not only different rock compositions (basaltic andesite, andesite, trachyte and rhyolite), but also various degrees of alteration. The specific surface area is found to be correlated to the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the samples measured by the cobalthexamine method, both serving as rough proxies of the hydrothermal alteration experienced by these materials. The in-phase (real) conductivity of the samples is the sum of a bulk contribution associated with conduction in the pore network and a surface conductivity that increases with alteration. The quadrature conductivity and the normalized chargeability are two parameters related to the polarization of the electrical double layer coating the minerals of the volcanic rocks. Both parameters increase with the degree of alteration. The surface conductivity, the quadrature conductivity, and the normalized chargeability (defined as the difference between the in-phase conductivity at high and low frequencies) are linearly correlated to the CEC normalized by the bulk tortuosity of the pore space. The effects of temperature and pyrite-content are also investigated and can be understood in terms of a physics-based model. Finally, we performed a numerical study of the use of induced polarization to image the normalized chargeability of a volcanic edifice

Zircon U-Pb chronology, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of the Volcanic Rocks in the Elashan area, NW China: petrogenesis and tectonic implications

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Zhou, H.; Wei, J.; Shi, W.; Li, P.; Chen, M.; Zhao, X.

2017-12-01

Elashan area is located in the intersection of the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB) and the West Qinling Orogenic (WQOB). We present petrology, zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions from the andesite and felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolite and rhyolitic tuffs) in Elashan group volcanic rock. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age data indicate that the volcanic rocks are emplaced at 250 247 Ma. The volcanic rocks have high -K and aluminum - peraluminous characteristics, A/CNK = 1.07 1.82, δ ranges from 1.56 2.95, the main body is calc-alkaline rock. They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted in some high field strength elements (HFSEs, e.g., Nb, Ta, P and Ti), while having a flat heavy REE (HREEs) pattern. The ∑REE values of 178.68 to 298.11 ppm, average 230.50 ppm. The LREE/HREE values of 4.39 to 11.78 ppm, average 6.77 ppm. REE fractionation is obvious, REE distribution curve was right smooth, and have slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*=0.44-0.80, average 0.60), which as similar to the island arc volcanic rocks. The volcanic rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.71028-0.71232, ɛNd(t) values of -6.7 to -7.6, with T2DM-Nd ranging from 1561 to 1640 Ma. Pb isotopic composition (206 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 18.055 18.330, (207 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 15.586 15.618, (208 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 37.677 38.332. Geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes indicates that Elashan group volcanic magma derived mainly from the lower crust. Elashan group volcanic rocks is the productive East Kunlun block and West Qinling block collision, which makes the thicken crust caused partial melting in the study area. The source rocks is probably from metamorphic sandstone of Bayankala. But with Y-Nb and Rb-(Y+Nb), R1-R2 and Rb/10-Hf-Ta*3 diagrams showing that intermediate-acid rocks mainly formed in volcanic arc-collision environment, probably the collision event is short , therefore rocks retain the original island

Submarine landslides: advances and challenges

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Locat, Jacques; Lee, Homa J.

2002-01-01

Due to the recent development of well-integrated surveying techniques of the sea floor, significant improvements were achieved in mapping and describing the morphology and architecture of submarine mass movements. Except for the occurrence of turbidity currents, the aquatic environment (marine and fresh water) experiences the same type of mass failure as that found on land. Submarine mass movements, however, can have run-out distances in excess of 100 km, so their impact on any offshore activity needs to be integrated over a wide area. This great mobility of submarinemass movements is still not very well understood, particularly for cases like the far-reaching debris flows mapped on the Mississippi Fan and the large submarine rock avalanches found around many volcanic islands. A major challenge ahead is the integration of mass movement mechanics in an appropriate evaluation of the hazard so that proper risk assessment methodologies can be developed and implemented for various human activities offshore, including the development of natural resources and the establishment of reliable communication corridors. Key words : submarine slides, hazards, risk assessment, morphology, mobility, tsunami. Le dveloppement rcent de techniques de levs hydrograhiques pour les fonds marins nous a permis d'atteindre une qualit ingale dans la cartographie et la description des glissements sous marins. l'exception des courants de turbidit, on retrouve dans le domaine aquatique les mmes types de mouvements de terrain que sur terre. Par contre, les glissements sous-marins peuvent atteindre des distances excdant 100 km de telle sorte que leur impact sur les activits offshore doit tre pris en compte sur degrandes tendues. La grande mobilit des glissements sous-marins n'est pas encore bien comprise, comme pour le cas des coules dedbris cartographies sur le cne du Mississippi ainsi que pour les grandes avalanches rocheuses sous-marines retrouves au pourtour des les volcaniques. Un dfi majeur

The Ediacaran volcanic rocks and associated mafic dykes of the Ouarzazate Group (Anti-Atlas, Morocco): Clinopyroxene composition, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd isotopes constraints from the Ouzellarh-Siroua salient (Tifnoute valley)

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Belkacim, Said; Gasquet, Dominique; Liégeois, Jean-Paul; Arai, Shoji; Gahlan, Hisham A.; Ahmed, Hassan; Ishida, Yoshito; Ikenne, Moha

2017-03-01

Belonging to the huge Ouarzazate volcanic Group that covered the whole Anti-Atlas during the late Ediacaran (580-545 Ma), the Tifnoute valley volcanic formations are mainly pyroclastic and show a large composition, from trachybasalt to rhyolite and are crosscut by dolerite dykes. The Tifnoute valley volcanic rocks are located within a rigid salient of the Anti-Atlas that gives them special extreme characteristics. Due to the heavy greenschist alteration that affects this volcanic group, we focused the more immobile elements, but as REE can also be affected, we used the composition of unaltered clinopyroxene crystals to determine the nature of these volcanic rocks. The clinopyroxene is an augite diopside in the basalt, an augite in the andesite and an augite-salite in the dolerite. Petrography of the Tifnoute mafic volcanic rocks and clinopyroxene compositions indicate the presence of two magmatic series: (i) older high-K calc-alkaline (alkali-calcic) andesite and basalt characterized by the early crystallization of Fe-Ti oxides and of the late fractionation of plagioclase, the modal proportion of the latter increasing from the basalt to the andesite and (ii) younger alkalic dolerite dykes. With clinopyroxene trace element compositions obtained using laser ablation ICP-MS, we calculated the composition of the melts in equilibrium with the pyroxenes. The volcanic rocks of the Tifnoute Valley have positive εNd570 (+1.7 to +5.0), low Sri (volcanic rocks emplaced in a Pan-African transtensive post-collisional environment that evolved towards the major rifting event that will give rise to the Rheic ocean, in a similar way to what occurred just after the Variscan orogeny during the Triassic period that evolved to the Tethys ocean opening.

Development of a mixed seawater-hydrothermal fluid geochemical signature during alteration of volcanic rocks in the Archean (∼2.7 Ga) Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada

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Brengman, Latisha A.; Fedo, Christopher M.

2018-04-01

We investigated a group of silicified volcanic rocks from the ∼2.72 Ga Hunter Mine Group (HMG), Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada, in order to document progressive compositional change associated with alteration in a subaqueous caldera system. Rocks of the HMG divide into three groups based on mineralogy and texture for petrographic and geochemical analyses. Volcanic features (phenocrysts, pseudomorphs after primary glass shards, lapilli, volcanic clasts) are preserved in all groups, despite changing mineralogy from primarily quartz, feldspar, chlorite (Groups 1 and 2), to quartz, hematite and carbonate (Groups 2 and 3). Compositionally, Group 1 rocks resemble volcanic rocks in the region, while Group 2 and 3 rocks show a change in mineralogy to iron, silica, and carbonate minerals, which is associated with depletion of many major and trace elements associated with volcanic rocks (Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, Zr). In addition, rare earth elements display a clear progression from volcanic signatures in Group 1 (PrSN/YbSN = 1.7-2.96, EuSN/EuSN∗ = 0.84-1.72, Y/Ho = 25.20-27.41, LaSN/LaSN∗ = 0.97-1.29, and Zr/Hf = 38.38-42.09) to transitional mixed volcanic, hydrothermal, and seawater signatures in Group 2 (PrSN/YbSN 1.33-2.89, EuSN/EuSN∗ 1.33-2.5, Y/Ho = 23.94-30, LaSN/LaSN∗ 0.93-1.34, and Zr/Hf = 40-70), to mixed hydrothermal and seawater signatures in Group 3 (PrSN/YbSN 0.62-2.88, EuSN/EuSN∗ 1.30-7.15, LaSN/LaSN∗ 1.02-1.86, Y/Ho = 25.56-55, and Zr/Hf = 35-50). We interpret that silicification of volcanic rocks (Group 1) produced transitional altered volcanic rocks (Group 2), and siliceous and jaspilitic rocks (Group 3), based on preservation of delicate volcanic features. Building on this explanation, we interpret that major, trace- and rare-earth element mobility occurred during the process of silicification, during which siliceous and jaspilitic rocks (Group 3) acquired aspects of the rare-earth element geochemical signatures of marine chemical precipitates. We

Deriving spatial patterns from a novel database of volcanic rock geochemistry in the Virunga Volcanic Province, East African Rift

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Poppe, Sam; Barette, Florian; Smets, Benoît; Benbakkar, Mhammed; Kervyn, Matthieu

2016-04-01

The Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP) is situated within the western branch of the East-African Rift. The geochemistry and petrology of its' volcanic products has been studied extensively in a fragmented manner. They represent a unique collection of silica-undersaturated, ultra-alkaline and ultra-potassic compositions, displaying marked geochemical variations over the area occupied by the VVP. We present a novel spatially-explicit database of existing whole-rock geochemical analyses of the VVP volcanics, compiled from international publications, (post-)colonial scientific reports and PhD theses. In the database, a total of 703 geochemical analyses of whole-rock samples collected from the 1950s until recently have been characterised with a geographical location, eruption source location, analytical results and uncertainty estimates for each of these categories. Comparative box plots and Kruskal-Wallis H tests on subsets of analyses with contrasting ages or analytical methods suggest that the overall database accuracy is consistent. We demonstrate how statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and subsequent cluster analysis allow the identification of clusters of samples with similar major-element compositions. The spatial patterns represented by the contrasting clusters show that both the historically active volcanoes represent compositional clusters which can be identified based on their contrasted silica and alkali contents. Furthermore, two sample clusters are interpreted to represent the most primitive, deep magma source within the VVP, different from the shallow magma reservoirs that feed the eight dominant large volcanoes. The samples from these two clusters systematically originate from locations which 1. are distal compared to the eight large volcanoes and 2. mostly coincide with the surface expressions of rift faults or NE-SW-oriented inherited Precambrian structures which were reactivated during rifting. The lava from the Mugogo

Submarine seismic monitoring of El Hierro volcanic eruption with a 3C-geophone string: applying new acquisition and data processing techniques to volcano monitoring

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Jurado, Maria Jose; Ripepe, Maurizio; Lopez, Carmen; Blanco, Maria Jose; Crespo, Jose

2015-04-01

A submarine volcanic eruption took place near the southernmost emerged land of the El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain), from October 2011 to February 2012. The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) seismic stations network evidenced seismic unrest since July 2011 and was a reference also to follow the evolution of the seismic activity associated with the volcanic eruption. Right after the eruption onset, in October 2011 a geophone string was deployed by the CSIC-IGN to monitor seismic activity. Monitoring with the seismic array continued till May 2012. The array was installed less than 2 km away from the new vol¬cano, next to La Restinga village shore in the harbor from 6 to 12m deep into the water. Our purpose was to record seismic activity related to the volcanic activity, continuously and with special interest on high frequency events. The seismic array was endowed with 8, high frequency, 3 component, 250 Hz, geophone cable string with a separation of 6 m between them. Each geophone consists on a 3-component module based on 3 orthogonal independent sensors that measures ground velocity. Some of the geophones were placed directly on the seabed, some were buried. Due to different factors, as the irregular characteristics of the seafloor. The data was recorded on the surface with a seismometer and stored on a laptop computer. We show how acoustic data collected underwater show a great correlation with the seismic data recorded on land. Finally we compare our data analysis results with the observed sea surface activity (ash and lava emission and degassing). This evidence is disclosing new and innovative tecniques on monitoring submarine volcanic activity. Reference Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), "Serie El Hierro." Internet: http://www.ign.es/ign/resources /volcanologia/HIERRO.html [May, 17. 2013

Cenozoic alkaline volcanic rocks with carbonatite affinity in the Bohemian Massif: Their sources and magma generation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ulrych, Jaromír; Štěpánková-Svobodová, Jana

2014-01-01

Roč. 46, 1/2 (2014), s. 45-58 ISSN 0369-2086 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA300130902 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : alkaline volcanic rocks * melilitic rocks * carbonatites * magma generation * metasomatism * Cenozoic * Bohemian Massif Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

Petrography, geochemistry and tectonic setting of Salmabad Tertiary volcanic rocks, southeast of Sarbisheh, eastern Iran

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Masoumeh Goodarzi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction The area reviewed and studied in this paper is located 5 km southeast of Sarbisheh city at eastern border of the Lut block (Jung et al., 1983; Karimpour et al., 2011; Richards et al., 2012 in eastern Iran between 59° 47′ and 59° 53′ E longitude and 32°30′ and 32°34′ N latitude. The magmatic activity in the Lut block began in middle Jurassic (165-162 Ma and reached its peak in Tertiary (Jung et al., 1983. Volcanic and subvolcanic rocks of Tertiary age cover over half of Lut block with up to 2000 m thickness and formed due to subduction prior to the collision of the Arabian and Asian plates (Camp and Griffis, 1982; Tirrul et al., 1983; Berberianet et al., 1982. Most of magmatic activity in the Lut block formed in middle Eocene (Karimpour et al., 2011 The andesitic volcanics were erupted together with the dacites and rhyodacites during a time interval of some 50 Ma from early Cretaceous to early Neogene. It can be assumed that the intensity of the volcanic activity was varying significantly during this time span (Jung et al., 1983.Tertiary volcanic rocks (Eocene-Oligocene to Pliocene with intermediate composition associated with pyroclastic rocks cropped out in eastern parts of Salmabad village, southeast of Sarbisheh. The main purpose of this paper is better understand the tectono-magmatic setting of the Tertiary volcanic rocks in southeast of Sarbisheh, eastern Iran based on geochemical characteristics. Materials and methods Eleven samples were analyzed for major elements by inductively coupled plasma (ICP technologies and trace elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, following a lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion and nitric acid total digestion, at the SGS Laboratories, Toronto, Canada. Results In the Salmabad area, Tertiary volcanic rocks with mainly intermediate (andesitic composition are exposed associated with pyroclastic deposits such as tuff, breccia and agglomerate

Extensive young silicic volcanism produces large deep submarine lava flows in the NE Lau Basin

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Embley, Robert W.; Rubin, Kenneth H.

2018-04-01

New field observations reveal that extensive (up to 402 km2) aphyric, glassy dacite lavas were erupted at multiple sites in the recent past in the NE Lau basin, located about 200 km southwest of Samoa. This discovery of volumetrically significant and widespread submarine dacite lava flows extends the domain for siliceous effusive volcanism into the deep seafloor. Although several lava flow fields were discovered on the flank of a large silicic seamount, Niuatahi, two of the largest lava fields and several smaller ones ("northern lava flow fields") were found well north of the seamount. The most distal portion of the northernmost of these fields is 60 km north of the center of Niuatahi caldera. We estimate that lava flow lengths from probable eruptive vents to the distal ends of flows range from a few km to more than 10 km. Camera tows on the shallower, near-vent areas show complex lava morphology that includes anastomosing tube-like pillow flows and ropey surfaces, endogenous domes and/or ridges, some with "crease-like" extrusion ridges, and inflated lobes with extrusion structures. A 2 × 1.5 km, 30-m deep depression could be an eruption center for one of the lava flow fields. The Lau lava flow fields appear to have erupted at presumptive high effusion rates and possibly reduced viscosity induced by presumptive high magmatic water content and/or a high eruption temperature, consistent with both erupted composition ( 66% SiO2) and glassy low crystallinity groundmass textures. The large areal extent (236 km2) and relatively small range of compositional variation ( σ = 0.60 for wt% Si02%) within the northern lava flow fields imply the existence of large, eruptible batches of differentiated melt in the upper mantle or lower crust of the NE Lau basin. At this site, the volcanism could be controlled by deep crustal fractures caused by the long-term extension in this rear-arc region. Submarine dacite flows exhibiting similar morphology have been described in ancient

H2O Contents of Submarine and Subaerial Silicic Pyroclasts from Oomurodashi Volcano, Northern Izu-Bonin Arc

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McIntosh, I. M.; Tani, K.; Nichols, A. R.

2014-12-01

Oomurodashi volcano is an active shallow submarine silicic volcano in the northern Izu-Bonin Arc, located ~20 km south of the inhabited active volcanic island of Izu-Oshima. Oomurodashi has a large (~20km diameter) flat-topped summit located at 100 - 150 metres below sea level (mbsl), with a small central crater, Oomuro Hole, located at ~200 mbsl. Surveys conducted during cruise NT12-19 of R/V Natsushima in 2012 using the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) Hyper-Dolphin revealed that Oomuro Hole contains numerous active hydrothermal vents and that the summit of Oomurodashi is covered by extensive fresh rhyolitic lava and pumice clasts with little biogenetic or manganese cover, suggesting recent eruption(s) from Oomuro Hole. Given the shallow depth of the volcano summit, such eruptions are likely to have generated subaerial eruption columns. A ~10ka pumiceous subaerial tephra layer on the neighbouring island of Izu-Oshima has a similar chemical composition to the submarine Oomurodashi rocks collected during the NT12-19 cruise and is thought to have originated from Oomurodashi. Here we present FTIR measurements of the H2O contents of rhyolitic pumice from both the submarine deposits sampled during ROV dives and the subaerial tephra deposit on Izu-Oshima, in order to assess magma degassing and eruption processes occurring during shallow submarine eruptions.

Flank Collapse Assessment At Kick-'em-Jenny Submarine Volcano (Lesser Antilles): A Combined Approach Using Modelling and Experiments

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Dondin, F. J. Y.; Heap, M. J.; Robertson, R. E. A.; Dorville, J. F. M.; Carey, S.

2016-12-01

In the Lesser Antilles over 52 volcanic landslide episodes have been identified. These episodes serve as a testament to the hazard posed by volcanic landslides to a region composed of many islands that are small independent countries with vulnerable local economies. This study presents a relative slope stability analysis (RIA) to investigate the stability condition of the only active submarine volcano of the Lesser Antilles Arc: Kick-'em-Jenny Submarine Volcano (KeJ). Thus we hope to provide better constraint on the landslide source geometry to help mitigate volcanic landslide hazards at a KeJ. KeJ is located ca. 8 km north of Grenada island. KeJ lies within a collapse scar from a prehistorical flank collapse. This collapse was associated with a voluminous landslide deposit of about 4.4km3 with a 14 km runout. Numerial simulations showed that this event could generate a regional tsunami. We aim to quantify potential initial volumes of collapsed material using a RIA. The RIA evaluates the critical potential failure surface associated with factor of safety (Fs) inferior to unity and compares them to areas of deficit/surplus of mass/volume obtained from the comparison of an high resolution digital elevation model of the edifice with an ideal 3D surface. We use freeware programs VolcanoFit 2.0 and SSAP 4.7. and produce a 3D representation of the stability map. We report, for the first time, results of a Limit Equilibrium Method performed using geomechanical parameters retrieved from rock mechanics tests performed on two rock basaltic-andesite rock samples collected from within the crater of the volcano during the 1-18 November 2013 NA039 E/V Nautilus cruise. We performed triaxial and uniaxial deformation tests to obtain values of strength at the top and bottom of the edifice. We further characterized the permeability and P-wave velocity of the samples collected. The chosen internal structure for the model is composed of three bodies: (i) a body composed of basaltic

Economic potential of the Rooiberg Group: volcanic rocks in the floor and roof of the Bushveld Complex

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Schweitzer, J. K.; Hatton, C. J.; de Waal, S. A.

1995-04-01

Volcanic rocks of the Rooiberg Group are preserved in the floor and roof of the mafic Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld Complex. Field and geochemical characteristics of these volcanic rocks imply that they are genetically related to the Rustenburg Layered Suite. Four major ore-forming events are identified in the Rooiberg Group. The first phase was accompanied by volcanic hosted, fault controlled, hydrothermal copper mineralisation, which is found in the lowermost portion of the Rooiberg Group, underlying the Rustenburg Layered Suite. This type of mineralisation is tentatively linked to initial Rustenburg Layered Suite intrusions. Stratabound arsenic mineralisation that possibly formed in response to contact metamorphism, characterises the second phase, and occurred after extrusion of the Damwal Formation, possibly due to shallow granophyric intrusion. The third mineralising event occurred in response to contact metamorphism during the final stages of the Rustenburg Layered Suite, where especially Pb and Zn were introduced into the felsite roof rocks. This type of mineralisation affected the majority of the Rooiberg Group, but is most pronounced towards the contact with the Rustenburg Layered Suite. The fourth phase is restricted to the Rooiberg Group in the Nylstroom area and is linked to the granite intrusions of the Lebowa Granite Suite, from which Sn and F were introduced into the uppermost felsite succession. Mineralisation in the Rooiberg Group appears to be controlled by the character and intrusion level of the associated Bushveld magmas. Different styles of mineralisation in Rooiberg Group volcanic rocks are encountered at various stratigraphic levels. Major primary volcanogenic ore deposits appear to be absent.

Transition of magma genesis estimated by change of chemical composition of Izu-bonin arc volcanism associated with spreading of Shikoku Basin

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Haraguchi, S.; Ishii, T.

2006-12-01

Arc volcanism in the Izu-Ogasawara arc is separated into first and latter term at the separate of Shikoku Basin. Middle to late Eocene early arc volcanism formed a vast terrane of boninites and island arc tholeiites that is unlike active arc systems. A following modern-style arc volcanism was active during the Oligocene, along which intense tholeiitic and calc-alkaline volcanism continued until 29Ma, before spreading of the back- arc basin. The recent arc volcanism in the Izu-Ogasawara arc have started in the middle Miocene, and it is assumed that arc volcanism were decline during spreading of back-arc basin. In the northern Kyushu-Palau Ridge, submarine bottom materials were dredged during the KT95-9 and KT97-8 cruise by the R/V Tansei-maru, Ocean Research Institute, university of Tokyo, and basaltic to andesitic volcanic rocks were recovered during both cruise except for Komahashi-Daini Seamount where recovered acidic plutonic rocks. Komahashi-Daini Seamount tonalite show 37.5Ma of K-Ar dating, and this age indicates early stage of normal arc volcanism. These volcanic rocks are mainly cpx basalt to andesite. Two pyroxene basalt and andesite are only found from Miyazaki Seamount, northern end of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. Volcanic rocks show different characteristics from first term volcanism in the Izu-Ogasawara forearc rise and recent arc volcanism. The most characteristic is high content of incompatible elements, that is, these volcanics show two to three times content of incompatible elements to Komahashi-Daini Seamount tonalite and former normal arc volcanism in the Izu outer arc (ODP Leg126), and higher content than recent Izu arc volcanism. This characteristic is similar to some volcanics at the ODP Leg59 Site448 in the central Kyushu- Palau Ridge. Site448 volcanic rocks show 32-33Ma of Ar-Ar ages, which considered beginning of activity of Parece Vela Basin. It is considered that the dredged volcanic rocks are uppermost part of volcanism before spreading of

Volcanic complexes in the eastern ridge of the Canary Islands: the Miocene activity of the island of Fuerteventura

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Ancochea, E.; Brändle, J. L.; Cubas, C. R.; Hernán, F.; Huertas, M. J.

1996-03-01

Fuerteventura has been since early stages of its growth the result of three different adjacent large volcanic complexes: Southern, Central and Northern. The definition of these volcanic complexes and their respective growing episodes is based on volcano-stratigraphic, morphological and structural criteria, particularly radial dyke swarms. Each complex has its own prolonged history that might be longer than 10 m.y. During that time, several periods of activity alternating with gaps accompanied by important erosion took place. The evolution of each volcanic complex has been partially independent but all the three are affected by at least three Miocene tectonic phases that controlled considerably their activity. The volcanic complexes are deeply eroded and partially submerged. In the core of the Northern and the Central volcanic complexes there is a set of submarine and plutonic rocks intensely traversed by a dyke swarm, known as the Basal Complex. The Basal Complex has been interpreted in different ways but all previous authors have considered it to be prior to the subaerial shield stage of the island. Here we advance the idea that the Basal Complex represent the submarine growing stage of the volcanic complexes and the hypabyssal roots (plutons and dykes) of their successive subaerial growing episodes. Two seamounts situated nearby, southwest of the island, might be interpreted as remains of two other major volcanoes. These two volcanoes, together with those forming the present emerged island of Fuerteventura, and finally those of Famara and Los Ajaches situated further north on Lanzarote constitute a chain of volcanoes located along a lineation which is subparallel to the northwestern African coastline and which may relate to early Atlantic spreading trends in the area.

High-resolution 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of volcanic rocks from the Siebengebirge (Central Germany)—Implications for eruption timescales and petrogenetic evolution of intraplate volcanic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Przybyla, Thomas; Pfänder, Jörg A.; Münker, Carsten; Kolb, Melanie; Becker, Maike; Hamacher, Uli

2017-11-01

A key parameter in understanding mantle dynamics beneath continents is the temporal evolution of intraplate volcanism in response to lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric uplift. To contribute to a better understanding of how intraplate volcanic fields evolve through time, we present a high precision 40Ar/39Ar age dataset for volcanic rocks from the Siebengebirge volcanic field (SVF) from central Germany, one of the best studied and compositionally most diverse intraplate volcanic fields of the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Province (CEVP). Petrological and geochemical investigations suggest that the formation of the different rock types that occur in the SVF can be explained by a combination of assimilation and fractional crystallisation processes, starting from at least two different parental magmas with different levels of silica saturation (alkali basaltic and basanitic), and originating from different mantle sources. These evolved along two differentiation trends to latites and trachytes, and to tephrites and tephriphonolites, respectively. In contrast to their petrogenesis, the temporal evolution of the different SVF suites is poorly constrained. Previous K/Ar ages suggested a time of formation between about 28 and 19 Ma for the mafic rocks, and of about 27 to 24 Ma for the differentiated rocks. Our results confirm at high precision that the differentiated lithologies of both alkaline suites (40Ar/39Ar ages from 25.3 ± 0.2 Ma to 25.9 ± 0.3 Ma) erupted contemporaneously within a very short time period of 0.6 Ma, whereas the eruption of mafic rocks (basanites) lasted at least 8 Ma (40Ar/39Ar ages from 22.2 ± 0.2 Ma to 29.5 ± 0.3 Ma). This implies that felsic magmatism in the central SVF was likely a single event, possibly triggered by an intense phase of rifting, and that ongoing melting and eruption of mostly undifferentiated mafic lavas dominate the > 8 Ma long magmatic history of this region. Among the mafic lavas, most basanites and tephrites

Petrological and geochemical Highlights in the floating fragments of the October 2011 submarine eruption offshore El Hierro (Canary Islands): Relevance of submarine hydrothermal processes

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Losada, Jose A.; Eff-Darwich, Antonio; Hernandez, Luis E.; Viñas, Ronaldo; Pérez, Nemesio; Hernandez, Pedro; Melián, Gladys; Martinez-Frías, Jesús; Romero-Ruiz, M. Carmen; Coello-Bravo, Juan Jesús

2015-02-01

This paper describes the main physical, petrological and geochemical features of the floating fragments that were emitted in the initial stages of the 2011-2012 submarine eruption off the coast of the Canarian island of El Hierro, located 380 km from the Northwest African Coast. It attempts to assess the potential of radiometric analyses to discern the intriguing origin of the floating fragments and the differences between their constituent parts. In this regard, the material that conforms the core of the fragments contains the largest concentration of uranium (U) ever found in volcanic rocks of the Canary Islands. This enrichment in U is not found in the content of thorium (Th), hence the floating fragments have an unusual U/Th ratio, namely equal to or larger than 3. Although the origin of this material is under discussion, it is proposed that the enrichment in U is the result of hydrothermal processes.

Submarine geothermal resources

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D.L.

1976-01-01

Approximately 20% of the earth's heat loss (or 2 ?? 1012 cal/s) is released through 1% of the earth's surface area and takes the form of hydrothermal discharge from young (Pleistocene or younger) rocks adjacent to active seafloor-spreading centers and submarine volcanic areas. This amount is roughly equivalent to man's present gross energy consumption rate. A sub-seafloor geothermal reservoir, to be exploitable under future economic conditions, will have to be hot, porous, permeable, large, shallow, and near an energy-deficient, populated land mass. Furthermore, the energy must be recoverable using technology achievable at a competitive cost and numerous environmental, legal and institutional problems will have to be overcome. The highest-temperature reservoirs should be found adjacent to the zones of the seafloor extension or volcanism that are subject to high sedimentation rates. The relatively impermeable sediments reduce hydrothermal-discharge flow rates, forcing the heat to be either conducted away or released by high-temperature fluids, both of which lead to reservoir temperatures that can exceed 300??C. There is evidence that the oceanic crust is quite permeable and porous and that it was amenable to deep (3-5 km) penetration by seawater at least some time in the early stages of its evolution. Most of the heat escapes far from land, but there are notable exceptions. For example, in parts of the Gulf of California, thermal gradients in the bottom sediments exceed 1??C/m. In the coastal areas of the Gulf of California, where electricity and fresh water are at a premium, this potential resource lies in shallow water (characteristics of these systems before they can be considered a viable resource. Until several of the most promising areas are carefully defined and drilled, the problem will remain unresolved. ?? 1976.

Widespread Neogene and Quaternary Volcanism on Central Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean

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Duncan, R. A.; Falloon, T.; Quilty, P. G.; Coffin, M. F.

2016-12-01

We report new age determinations and compositions for rocks from 18 dredge hauls collected from eight submarine areas across Central Kerguelen Plateau (CKP). Sea knolls and volcanic fields with multiple small cones were targeted over a 125,000 km2 region that includes Heard and McDonald islands. Large early Miocene (16-22 Ma) sea knolls rise from the western margin of the CKP and are part of a NNW-SSE line of volcanic centers that lie between Îles Kerguelen and Heard and McDonald islands. A second group of large sea knolls is aligned E-W across the center of this region. We see evidence of much younger activity (5 Ma to present) in volcanic fields to the north of, and up to 300 km NE of Heard Island. Compositions include basanite, basalt, and trachybasalt, that are broadly similar to plateau lava flows from nearby Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1138, lower Miocene lavas at Îles Kerguelen, dredged rocks from the early Miocene sea knolls, and Big Ben lavas from Heard Island. Geochemical data indicate decreasing fractions of mantle source melting with time. The western line of sea knolls has been related to hotspot activity now underlying the Heard Island area. In view of the now recognized much larger area of young volcanic activity, we propose that a broad region of CKP became volcanically active in Neogene time due to incubation of plume material at the base of the relatively stationary overlying plateau. The presence of pre-existing crustal faults promotes access for melts from the Heard mantle plume to rise to the surface.

Depositional environment of the Onverwacht sedimentary rocks Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Paris, I. A.

The Onverwacht Group is the basal part of the ca 3.5 Ga succession forming the Barberton greenstone belt. It comprises a volcanic pile overlain by a thin layer of volcaniclastic sediments which, due to silicification, are extremely well preserved. There has been a controversy as to how and in what environment these sediments were formed, different sets of data being presented to reach opposite conclusions. The Onverwacht Group has been extensively repeated tectonically and here for the first time, sediments from different structural levels are studied together. Three separate facies have been recognised, a distal and proximal turbidite facies and a subaerial facies. Deposition of Onverwacht Group sedimentary rocks occurred in an oceanic basin characterised by the presence of emergent volcanic islands. After eruption, material was deposited both subaerially and in a shallow submarine environment on the volcanic slopes and, as a result of pyroclastic flow, in the deeper parts of the basin.

The Late Jurassic Panjeh submarine volcano in the northern Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, northwest Iran: Mantle plume or active margin?

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Azizi, Hossein; Lucci, Federico; Stern, Robert J.; Hasannejad, Shima; Asahara, Yoshihiro

2018-05-01

The tectonic setting in which Jurassic igneous rocks of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SaSZ) of Iran formed is controversial. SaSZ igneous rocks are mainly intrusive granodiorite to gabbroic bodies, which intrude Early to Middle Jurassic metamorphic basement; Jurassic volcanic rocks are rare. Here, we report the age and petrology of volcanic rocks from the Panjeh basaltic-andesitic rocks complex in the northern SaSZ, southwest of Ghorveh city. The Panjeh magmatic complex consists of pillowed and massive basalts, andesites and microdioritic dykes and is associated with intrusive gabbros; the overall sequence and relations with surrounding sediments indicate that this is an unusually well preserved submarine volcanic complex. Igneous rocks belong to a metaluminous sub-alkaline, medium-K to high-K calc-alkaline mafic suite characterized by moderate Al2O3 (13.7-17.6 wt%) and variable Fe2O3 (6.0-12.6 wt%) and MgO (0.9-11.1 wt%) contents. Zircon U-Pb ages (145-149 Ma) define a Late Jurassic (Tithonian) age for magma crystallization and emplacement. Whole rock compositions are enriched in Th, U and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and are slightly depleted in Nb, Ta and Ti. The initial ratios of 87Sr/86Sr (0.7039-0.7076) and εNd(t) values (-1.8 to +4.3) lie along the mantle array in the field of ocean island basalts and subcontinental metasomatized mantle. Immobile trace element (Ti, V, Zr, Y, Nb, Yb, Th and Co) behavior suggests that the mantle source was enriched by fluids released from a subducting slab (i.e. deep-crustal recycling) with some contribution from continental crust for andesitic rocks. Based the chemical composition of Panjeh mafic and intermediate rocks in combination with data for other gabbroic to dioritic bodies in the Ghorveh area we offer two interpretations for these (and other Jurassic igneous rocks of the SaSZ) as reflecting melts from a) subduction-modified OIB-type source above a Neo-Tethys subduction zone or b) plume or rift tectonics involving

Tertiary volcanic rocks and uranium in the Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains, Juab County, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsey, David A.

1982-01-01

The Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains have a history of volcanism, faulting, and mineralization that began about 42 m.y. (million years) ago. Volcanic activity and mineralization in the area can be divided into three stages according to the time-related occurrence of rock types, trace-element associations, and chemical composition of mineral deposits. Compositions of volcanic rocks changed abruptly from rhyodacite-quartz latite (42-39 m.y. ago) to rhyolite (38-32 m.y. ago) to alkali rhyolite (21 and 6-7 m.y. ago); these stages correspond to periods of chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, no mineralization(?), and lithophile metal mineralization, respectively. Angular unconformities record episodes of cauldron collapse and block faulting between the stages of volcanic activity and mineralization. The youngest angular unconformity formed between 21 and 7 m.y. ago during basin-and-range faulting. Early rhyodacite-quartz latite volcanism from composite volcanoes and fissures produced flows, breccias, and ash-flow tuff of the Drum Mountains Rhyodacite and Mt. Laird Tuff. Eruption of the Mt. Laird Tuff about 39 m.y. ago from an area north of Joy townsite was accompanied by collapse of the Thomas caldera. Part of the roof of the magma chamber did not collapse, or the magma was resurgent, as is indicated by porphyry dikes and plugs in the Drum Mountains. Chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, resulting in deposits of copper, gold, and manganese, accompanied early volcanism. Te middle stage of volcanic activity was characterized by explosive eruption of rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs and collapse of the Dugway Valley cauldron. Eruption of the Joy Tuff 38 m.y. ago was accompanied by subsidence of this cauldron and was followed by collapse and sliding of Paleozoic rocks from the west wall of the cauldron. Landslides in The Dell were covered by the Dell Tuff, erupted 32 m.y. ago from an unknown source to the east. An ash flow of the Needles Range

Linking Volcanism and Gas Release from the North East Atlantic Volcanic Province to the PETM: Challenges and Updates

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Svensen, H.; Jones, M. T.; Jerram, D. A.; Planke, S.; Kjoberg, S.; Schmid, D. W.; Iyer, K.; Tegner, C.

2016-12-01

The main phase of the development of the North East Atlantic Volcanic Province took place about 56 Ma and coincides with the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The volcanic activity was characterized by voluminous flood basalts, large plutonic complexes, sub-marine eruptions, widespread tephra deposition, and emplacement of sills and dikes along the continental margins of Norway, Greenland, Ireland, and the UK. Here we review the style and tempo of volcanism during this important period of Earth's history and discuss the sources and volumes of the carbon gases emitted to the ocean and atmosphere. Moreover, we present new data and models from 1) West Greenland showing the impact on sill intrusions on gas generation from heated Cretaceous mudstones, 2) a 3D seismic survey of gas release structures offshore Norway, and 3) Paleocene-Eocene tephra layers from Svalbard and Denmark. Gas migrated out of the contact aureoles by either explosive venting or by slower seepage towards the seafloor as demonstrated by 3D seismic data. Some of the gas was permanently trapped (dry gas and CO2-rich gas) in the source rocks and aureoles. Combined with high-precision zircon ages and a time model for the PETM, our approach may give robust fluxes that can explain both the onset and the body of the PETM.

Upper Cretaceous to Pleistocene melilitic volcanic rocks of the Bohemian Massif: Petrology and mineral chemistry

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Skála, Roman; Ulrych, Jaromír; Krmíček, Lukáš; Fediuk, F.; Balogh, K.; Hegner, E.

2015-01-01

Roč. 66, č. 3 (2015), s. 197-216 ISSN 1335-0552 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Bohemian Massif * Cenozoic volcanism * isotope geochemistry * melilitic rock * mineralogy * petrology Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 1.523, year: 2015

The effect of offset on fracture permeability of rocks from the Southern Andes Volcanic Zone, Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Flores, P.; Wang, G.; Mitchell, T. M.; Meredith, P. G.; Nara, Y.; Sarkar, V.; Cembrano, J.

2017-11-01

The Southern Andes Volcanic Zone (SVZ) represents one of the largest undeveloped geothermal provinces in the world. Development of the geothermal potential requires a detailed understanding of fluid transport properties of its main lithologies. The permeability of SVZ rocks is altered by the presence of fracture damage zones produced by the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault System (LOFS) and the Andean Transverse Faults (ATF). We have therefore measured the permeability of four representative lithologies from the volcanic basement in this area: crystalline tuff, andesitic dike, altered andesite and granodiorite. For comparative purposes, we have also measured the permeability of samples of Seljadalur basalt, an Icelandic rock with widely studied and reported hydraulic properties. Specifically, we present the results of a systematic study of the effect of fractures and fracture offsets on permeability as a function of increasing effective pressure. Baseline measurements on intact samples of SVZ rocks show that the granodiorite has a permeability (10-18 m2), two orders of magnitude higher than that of the volcanic rocks (10-20 m2). The presence of throughgoing mated macro-fractures increases permeability by between four and six orders of magnitude, with the highest permeability recorded for the crystalline tuff. Increasing fracture offset to produce unmated fractures results in large increases in permeability up to some characteristic value of offset, beyond which permeability changes only marginally. The increase in permeability with offset appears to depend on fracture roughness and aperture, and these are different for each lithology. Overall, fractured SVZ rocks with finite offsets record permeability values consistent with those commonly found in geothermal reservoirs (>10-16 m2), which potentially allow convective/advective flow to develop. Hence, our results demonstrate that the fracture damage zones developed within the SVZ produce permeable regions, especially within the

Late Paleozoic volcanic rocks of the Intra-Sudetic Basin, Bohemian Massif: Petrological and geochemical characteristics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ulrych, Jaromír; Fediuk, F.; Lang, Miloš; Martinec, Petr

2004-01-01

Roč. 64, č. 2 (2004), s. 127-153 ISSN 0009-2819 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA3013903 Keywords : Late Paleozoic * volcanic rocks * Bohemian Massif Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 0.643, year: 2004

The structure environment, rock-magma system, mineral-forming series and pattern of volcanic mineral-forming of uranium deposit in southeast of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Dagan

1992-01-01

The Volcanic uranium deposit of rock-magma belt-the Mid-Cz Volcano in the Southeast of China mainly formed around 120 ∼ 130 Ma and 90 ∼ 100 Ma Which is in harmony with the two rock magma activities of k within the region. The rock-magma system of this period formed around the turning period from pressure to tension in the continent margin of southeast China, which is mainly characterized by the appearance of A-type granite and alkaline, sub-alkaline rocks (trachyte, trachyandensite, trachybasalt, basic rock alkaline basalt). The uranium deposit is controlled by the base rift of dissection to the mantle, the volcanic basin is of the double characteristics of transversal rift valley basin (early period) ad tension rift valley basin (laster period). The leading role of the deep source is stressed in terms of internal-forming series of volcanic uranium deposits is considered to exist; and also in terms of internal-forming series of volcanic uranium deposits is considered to exist; and also in terms of mineral-forming patterns, the multi-pattern led by the deep-source is stressed, including the mineral-forming pattern of uranium deposit of continental thermos, repeated periphery mineral-forming pattern of uranium deposit and the mineral-forming pattern of uranium deposit of rising pole-like thermos. Ten suggestions are put forward to the next mineral-search according to the above thoughts

Petrology, mineral chemistry and tectono-magmatic setting of volcanic rocks from northeast Farmahin, north of Arak

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Zarei Sahamieh

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction The study area is a small part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar structural zone in the Markazi province, located in the northeastern part of the Farmahin, north of Arak (Hajian, 1970. The volcanic rocks studied from the area include andesite, dacite, rhyodacite, ignimbrite and tuff of Middle to Late Eocene age (middle Lutetian to upper Lutetian (Ameri et al., 2009. It seems that folding and faulting is caused in sedimentary basin and volcanic activities. On the other hand, except of orogeny maybe rifting had rule in eruption so that this case has seen in the other area such as Taft and Khezrabad in central Iran (Zarei Sahamieh et al., 2008. The oldest formation in the studied area is Triassic limestones. The dominant textures of these rocks are porphyritic, microlite porphyritic, microlitic and rarely sieve-texture. Sieve texture and dusty texture (dusty plagioclases indicates magma mixing. Mineralogically, they contain plagioclases, clinopyroxenes, amphiboles, quartz and biotite as the main constituents and zircon, apatite, and opaque minerals as accessories. Plagioclases in the andesitic and basaltic- andesite rocks are labradorite, bytownite and anorthite (based on electron microprobe .Moreover, plagioclases in andesitic rocks show that H2O is lesser than 2.5 precent. Amphibole is found in both plagioclases and groundmass. Materials and methods In this article are used different analyses methods such as XRF, ICP-MS and EPMA. Whole-rock major and trace element analyses were determined with ICP-MS method. The major and trace element composition of some rock was determined by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA using a Cameca SX100 instrument in Iran Mineral Processing Research Center (IMPRC. Moreover, whole-rock major and some trace element analyses for some samples were obtained by X-ray fluorescence (XRF, using an ARL Advant-XP automated X-ray spectrometer. Results Chemical data based on electron micro probe studies of minerals indicate

A Comprehensive Study on Dielectric Properties of Volcanic Rock/PANI Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Kiliç, M.; Karabul, Y.; Okutan, M.; İçelli, O.

2016-05-01

Basalt is a very well-known volcanic rock that is dark colored and relatively rich in iron and magnesium, almost located each country in the world. These rocks have been used in the refused rock industry, to produce building tiles, construction industrial, highway engineering. Powders and fibers of basalt rocks are widely used of radiation shielding, thermal stability, heat and sound insulation. This study examined three different basalt samples (coded CM-1, KYZ-13 and KYZ-24) collected from different regions of Van province in Turkey. Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the representative conductive polymers due to its fine environmental stability, huge electrical conductivity, as well as a comparatively low cost. Also, the electrical and thermal properties of polymer composites containing PANI have been widely studied. The dielectric properties of Basalt/Polyaniline composites in different concentrations (10, 25, 50 wt.% PANI) have been investigated by dielectric spectroscopy method at the room temperature. The dielectric parameters (dielectric constants, loss and strength) were measured in the frequency range of 102 Hz-106 Hz at room temperature. The electrical mechanism change with PANI dopant. A detailed dielectrically analysis of these composites will be presented.

Viscosity characteristics of selected volcanic rock melts

Science.gov (United States)

Hobiger, Manuel; Sonder, Ingo; Büttner, Ralf; Zimanowski, Bernd

2011-02-01

A basic experimental study of the behavior of magma rheology was carried out on remelted volcanic rocks using wide gap viscometry. The complex composition of magmatic melts leads to complicated rheologic behavior which cannot be described with one simple model. Therefore, measurement procedures which are able to quantify non-Newtonian behavior have to be employed. Furthermore, the experimental apparatus must be able to deal with inhomogeneities of magmatic melts. We measured the viscosity of a set of materials representing a broad range of volcanic processes. For the lower viscous melts (low-silica compositions), non-Newtonian behavior is observed, whereas the high-silica melts show Newtonian behavior in the measured temperature and shear rate range (T = 1423 K - 1623 K, γ˙ = 10 - 2 s - 1 - 20 s - 1 ). The non-Newtonian materials show power-law behavior. The measured viscosities η and power-law indexes m lie in the intervals 8 Pa s ≤ η ≤ 210 3 Pa s, 0.71 ≤ m ≤ 1.0 (Grímsvötn basalt), 0.9 Pa s ≤ η ≤ 350 Pa s, 0.61 ≤ m ≤ 0.93 (Hohenstoffeln olivine-melilitite), and 8 Pa s ≤ η ≤ 1.510 4 Pa s, 0.55 ≤ m ≤ 1.0 (Sommata basalt). Measured viscosities of the Newtonian high-silica melts lie in the range 10 4 Pa s ≤ η ≤ 310 5 Pa s.

Mapping local singularities using magnetic data to investigate the volcanic rocks of the Qikou depression, Dagang oilfield, eastern China

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G. Chen

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The spatial structural characteristics of geological anomaly, including singularity and self-similarity, can be analysed using fractal or multifractal modelling. Here we apply the multifractal methods to potential fields to demonstrate that singularities can characterise geological bodies, including rock density and magnetic susceptibility. In addition to enhancing weak gravity and magnetic anomalies with respect to either strong or weak background levels, the local singularity index (α ≈ 2 can be used to delineate the edges of geological bodies. Two models were established to evaluate the effectiveness of mapping singularities for extracting weak anomalies and delineating edges of buried geological bodies. The Qikou depression of the Dagang oilfield in eastern China has been chosen as a study area for demonstrating the extraction of weak anomalies of volcanic rocks, using the singularity mapping technique to analyse complex magnetic anomalies caused by complex geological background. The results have shown that the singularities of magnetic data mapped in the paper are associated with buried volcanic rocks, which have been verified by both drilling and seismic survey, and the S–N and E–W faults in the region. The targets delineated for deeply seated faults and volcanic rocks in the Qikou depression should be further investigated for the potential application in undiscovered oil and gas reservoirs exploration.

Short-Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy of low-grade metamorphic volcanic rocks of the Pilbara Craton

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abweny, Mohammad S.; van Ruitenbeek, Frank J A; de Smeth, Boudewijn; Woldai, Tsehaie; van der Meer, Freek D.; Cudahy, Thomas; Zegers, Tanja; Blom, Jan Kees; Thuss, Barbara

This paper shows the results of Short-Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy investigations of volcanic rocks sampled from low-grade metamorphic greenstone belts of the Archean Pilbara Craton in Western Australia. From the reflectance spectra a range of spectrally active minerals were identified,

The Marsili Volcanic Seamount (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea: A Potential Offshore Geothermal Resource

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Francesco Italiano

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Italy has a strong geothermal potential for power generation, although, at present, the only two geothermal fields being exploited are Larderello-Travale/Radicondoli and Mt. Amiata in the Tyrrhenian pre-Apennine volcanic district of Southern Tuscany. A new target for geothermal exploration and exploitation in Italy is represented by the Southern Tyrrhenian submarine volcanic district, a geologically young basin (Upper Pliocene-Pleistocene characterised by tectonic extension where many seamounts have developed. Heat-flow data from that area show significant anomalies comparable to those of onshore geothermal fields. Fractured basaltic rocks facilitate seawater infiltration and circulation of hot water chemically altered by rock/water interactions, as shown by the widespread presence of hydrothermal deposits. The persistence of active hydrothermal activity is consistently shown by many different sources of evidence, including: heat-flow data, gravity and magnetic anomalies, widespread presence of hydrothermal-derived gases (CO2, CO, CH4, 3He/4He isotopic ratios, as well as broadband OBS/H seismological information, which demonstrates persistence of volcano-tectonic events and High Frequency Tremor (HFT. The Marsili and Tyrrhenian seamounts are thus an important—and likely long-lasting-renewable energy resource. This raises the possibility of future development of the world’s first offshore geothermal power plant.

The relationship between carbonate facies, volcanic rocks and plant remains in a late Palaeozoic lacustrine system (San Ignacio Fm, Frontal Cordillera, San Juan province, Argentina)

Science.gov (United States)

Busquets, P.; Méndez-Bedia, I.; Gallastegui, G.; Colombo, F.; Cardó, R.; Limarino, O.; Heredia, N.; Césari, S. N.

2013-07-01

The San Ignacio Fm, a late Palaeozoic foreland basin succession that crops out in the Frontal Cordillera (Argentinean Andes), contains lacustrine microbial carbonates and volcanic rocks. Modification by extensive pedogenic processes contributed to the massive aspect of the calcareous beds. Most of the volcanic deposits in the San Ignacio Fm consist of pyroclastic rocks and resedimented volcaniclastic deposits. Less frequent lava flows produced during effusive eruptions led to the generation of tabular layers of fine-grained, greenish or grey andesites, trachytes and dacites. Pyroclastic flow deposits correspond mainly to welded ignimbrites made up of former glassy pyroclasts devitrified to microcrystalline groundmass, scarce crystals of euhedral plagioclase, quartz and K-feldspar, opaque minerals, aggregates of fine-grained phyllosilicates and fiammes defining a bedding-parallel foliation generated by welding or diagenetic compaction. Widespread silicified and silica-permineralized plant remains and carbonate mud clasts are found, usually embedded within the ignimbrites. The carbonate sequences are underlain and overlain by volcanic rocks. The carbonate sequence bottoms are mostly gradational, while their tops are usually sharp. The lower part of the carbonate sequences is made up of mud which appear progressively, filling interstices in the top of the underlying volcanic rocks. They gradually become more abundant until they form the whole of the rock fabric. Carbonate on volcanic sandstones and pyroclastic deposits occur, with the nucleation of micritic carbonate and associated production of pyrite. Cyanobacteria, which formed the locus of mineral precipitation, were related with this nucleation. The growth of some of the algal mounds was halted by the progressive accumulation of volcanic ash particles, but in most cases the upper boundary is sharp and suddenly truncated by pyroclastic flows or volcanic avalanches. These pyroclastic flows partially destroyed the

Submarine Alkalic Lavas Around the Hawaiian Hotspot; Plume and Non-Plume Signatures Determined by Noble Gases

Science.gov (United States)

Hanyu, T.; Clague, D. A.; Kaneoka, I.; Dunai, T. J.; Davies, G. R.

2004-12-01

Noble gas isotopic ratios were determined for submarine alkalic volcanic rocks distributed around the Hawaiian islands to constrain the origin of such alkalic volcanism. Samples were collected by dredging or using submersibles from the Kauai Channel between Oahu and Kauai, north of Molokai, northwest of Niihau, Southwest Oahu, South Arch and North Arch volcanic fields. Sites located downstream from the center of the hotspot have 3He/4He ratios close to MORB at about 8 Ra, demonstrating that the magmas erupted at these sites had minimum contribution of volatiles from a mantle plume. In contrast, the South Arch, located upstream of the hotspot on the Hawaiian Arch, has 3He/4He ratios between 17 and 21 Ra, indicating a strong plume influence. Differences in noble gas isotopic characteristics between alkalic volcanism downstream and upstream of the hotspot imply that upstream volcanism contains incipient melts from an upwelling mantle plume, having primitive 3He/4He. In combination with lithophile element isotopic data, we conclude that the most likely source of the upstream magmatism is depleted asthenospheric mantle that has been metasomatised by incipient melt from a mantle plume. After major melt extraction from the mantle plume during production of magmas for the shield stage, the plume material is highly depleted in noble gases and moderately depleted in lithophile elements. Partial melting of the depleted mantle impregnated by melts derived from this volatile depleted plume source may explain the isotopic characteristics of the downstream alkalic magmatism.

Shield Through Rejuvenated Stage Volcanism On Kauai and Niihau, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Cousens, B.; Clague, D. A.

2013-12-01

Kauai and Niihau are the northwesternmost large islands in the Hawaiian chain and consist of shield, rare postshield, and abundant rejuvenated stage lavas. We present new geochronological, geochemical and isotopic data for all phases of volcanic activity on the adjacent islands. K-Ar ages show Niihau shield volcanism occurred from 6.3-4.4 Ma, and K-Ar and new Ar-Ar ages for postshield volcanism range from 5.4-4.7 Ma. Kauai shield volcanism (K-Ar) overlaps with shield volcanism on Niihau. A new Ar-Ar age for a Kauai postshield dike is 4.4 Ma, older than previously-dated postshield lavas (3.95-3.58 Ma). New Ar-Ar ages show that Kauai rejuvenated stage volcanism began prior to 3.42 Ma (Izuka & Sherrod, 2011), compared to ~2.3 Ma on Niihau. Tholeiitic shield lavas from Kauai vary only slightly in trace element chemistry but have variable isotopic compositions. Subtle trends in some trace element and isotopic ratios between Napali Member shield lavas from the east and west side of Kauai support the two-shield hypothesis of Holcomb et al. (1997). Shield lavas from Niihau are chemically similar to those on Kauai, although Niihau tholeiites extend to higher 143Nd/144Nd ratios. Onland and submarine postshield rocks from Niihau are slightly more alkaline and LREE-enriched compared to shield lavas, but postshield rocks from Kauai are more chemically evolved, more LREE-enriched, and have more depleted Sr and Nd isotopic signatures than Kauai tholeiites. Postshield rocks on Kauai overlap in apparent age with lavas that are chemically like later rejuvenated stage lavas, suggesting either interfingering of the chemically distinct lavas or problems with the K-Ar ages. Rejuvenated stage lavas from the two islands differ dramatically; Kauai lavas are alkaline, LREE-enriched, and have even more depleted Sr and Nd isotopic compositions than postshield lavas, whereas Niihau lavas are only mildly alkaline, have lower REE abundances than postshield basalts, but isotopically are like

The largest deep-ocean silicic volcanic eruption of the past century.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Rebecca; Soule, S Adam; Manga, Michael; White, James; McPhie, Jocelyn; Wysoczanski, Richard; Jutzeler, Martin; Tani, Kenichiro; Yoerger, Dana; Fornari, Daniel; Caratori-Tontini, Fabio; Houghton, Bruce; Mitchell, Samuel; Ikegami, Fumihiko; Conway, Chris; Murch, Arran; Fauria, Kristen; Jones, Meghan; Cahalan, Ryan; McKenzie, Warren

2018-01-01

The 2012 submarine eruption of Havre volcano in the Kermadec arc, New Zealand, is the largest deep-ocean eruption in history and one of very few recorded submarine eruptions involving rhyolite magma. It was recognized from a gigantic 400-km 2 pumice raft seen in satellite imagery, but the complexity of this event was concealed beneath the sea surface. Mapping, observations, and sampling by submersibles have provided an exceptionally high fidelity record of the seafloor products, which included lava sourced from 14 vents at water depths of 900 to 1220 m, and fragmental deposits including giant pumice clasts up to 9 m in diameter. Most (>75%) of the total erupted volume was partitioned into the pumice raft and transported far from the volcano. The geological record on submarine volcanic edifices in volcanic arcs does not faithfully archive eruption size or magma production.

Raman-IR vibrational and XRD characterization of ancient and modern mineralogy from volcanic eruption in Tenerife Island: Implication for Mars

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E.A. Lalla

2016-07-01

Full Text Available A detailed vibrational Raman-IR spectroscopic and diffractional analyses have been performed on basalts from two locations from Tenerife Island: (1 the Arenas Negras volcano which belongs to the historical eruption not showing visible alteration and (2 Pillow Lavas zone from Anaga Massif which shows a clearly fluid-rock interaction caused by submarine alteration. These places have been extensively studied due to its similarity with the surface of Mars. The analysis is based on the mineral detection of selected samples by a Micro-Raman study of the materials. The complementary techniques have confirmed the mineralogy detected by the Raman measurement. The results show a volcanic environment behavior with primary phases like olivine, pyroxene, and feldspar/plagioclase. Moreover, the presence of accessory minerals or secondary mineralization like phosphate, iron oxides, zeolite or carbonates shows the alteration processes on each outcrop. The variation in the crystallinity and amorphous phases is related to fluid-rock interaction caused by hydrothermal episodes and external weathering processes, which shows several analogies with the ancient volcanic activity from Mars.

Water - rock interaction in different rock environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamminen, S.

1995-01-01

The study assesses the groundwater geochemistry and geological environment of 44 study sites for radioactive waste disposal. Initially, the study sites were divided by rock type into 5 groups: (1) acid - intermediate rocks, (2) mafic - ultramafic rocks, (3) gabbros, amphibolites and gneisses that contain calc-silicate (skarn) rocks, (4) carbonates and (5) sandstones. Separate assessments are made of acid - intermediate plutonic rocks and of a subgroup that comprises migmatites, granite and mica gneiss. These all belong to the group of acid - intermediate rocks. Within the mafic -ultramafic rock group, a subgroup that comprises mafic - ultramafic plutonic rocks, serpentinites, mafic - ultramafic volcanic rocks and volcanic - sedimentary schists is also evaluated separately. Bedrock groundwaters are classified by their concentration of total dissolved solids as fresh, brackish, saline, strongly saline and brine-class groundwaters. (75 refs., 24 figs., 3 tabs.)

The alkaline volcanic rocks of Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho and the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Neakrase, L. D.; Lim, D. S. S.; Haberle, C. W.; Hughes, S. S.; Kobs-Nawotniak, S. E.; Christensen, P. R.

2016-12-01

Idaho's Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) is host to extensive expressions of basaltic volcanism dominated by non evolved olivine tholeiites (NEOT) with localized occurrences of evolved lavas. Craters of the Moon National Monument (COTM) is a polygenetic lava field comprised of more than 60 lava flows emplaced during 8 eruptive periods spanning the last 15 kyrs. The most recent eruptive period (period A; 2500-2000 yr B.P.) produced flows with total alkali vs. silica classifications spanning basalt to trachyte. Coeval with the emplacement of the COTM period A volcanic pile was the emplacement of the Wapi and King's Bowl NEOT 70 km SSE of COTM along the Great Rift. Previous investigations have determined a genetic link between these two compositionally distinct volcanic centers where COTM compositions can be generated from NEOT melts through complex ascent paths and variable degrees of fractionation and assimilation of lower-middle crustal materials. The Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, conducted a robotic investigation of Gusev crater from 2004-2010. Spirit was equipped with the Athena science payload enabling the determination of mineralogy (mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer, Pancam multispectral camera, and Mössbauer spectrometer), bulk chemistry (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and context (Pancam and Microscopic Imager). During sol 32 Spirit investigated an olivine basalt named Adirondack, the type specimen for a class of rock that composes much of the plains material within Gusev Crater and embays the Columbia Hills. Following the characterization of the plains material, Spirit departed the plains targeting the Columbia Hills and ascending at Husband Hill. During Spirit's ascent of Husband Hill three additional classes of volcanic rock were identified as distinct by their mini-TES spectra; Wishstone, Backstay and Irvine. These rocks are classified as tephrite, trachy-basalt and basalt, respectively, and are the first alkaline rocks observed on Mars. These

Neogene seismites and seismic volcanic rocks in the Linqu area, Shandong Province, E China

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Tian H.S.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The Yishu Fault Zone runs through the centre of Shandong Province (E China; it is a deep-seated large fault system that still is active. Two volcanic faulted basins (the Shanwang and Linqu Basins in the Linqu area, west of the fault zone, are exposed to rifting, which process is accompanied by a series of tectonic and volcanic earthquakes with a magnitude of 5-8. Lacustrine sediments in the basins were affected by these earthquakes so that seismites with a variety of soft-sediment deformation structures originated. The seismites form part of the Shanwang Formation of the Linqu Group. Semi-consolidated fluvial conglomerates became deformed in a brittle way; these seismites are present at the base of the Yaoshan Formation. Intense earthquakes triggered by volcanic activity left their traces in the form of seismic volcanic rocks associated with liquefied-sand veins in the basalt/sand intercalations at the base of the Yaoshan Formation. These palaeo-earthquake records are dated around 14-10 Ma; they are responses to the intense tectonic extension and the basin rifting in this area and even the activity of the Yishu Fault Zone in the Himalayan tectonic cycle.

Fracturing Fluid Leak-off for Deep Volcanic Rock in Zhungeer Basin: Mechanism and Control Method

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Huang Bo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The deep volcanic reservoir in Zhungeer Basin is buried in over 4000m depth, which is characterized by complex lithology (breccia, andesite, basalt, etc., high elastic modulus and massive natural fractures. During hydraulic fracturing, hydraulic fracture will propagate and natural fractures will be triggered by the increasing net pressure. However, the extension of fractures, especially natural fractures, would aggravate the leak-off effect of fracturing fluid, and consequently decrease the fracturing success rate. 4 out of 12 fracturing wells in the field have failed to add enough proppants due to fluid loss. In order to increase the success rate and efficiency of hydraulic fracturing for deep volcanic reservoir, based on theoretical and experimental method, the mechanism of fracturing fluid leak-off is deeply studied. We propose a dualistic proppant scheme and employ the fluid loss reducer to control the fluid leak-off in macro-fractures and micro-fractures respectively. The proposed technique remarkably improved the success rate in deep volcanic rock fracturing. It bears important theoretical value and practical significance to improve the hydraulic fracturing design for deep volcanic reservoir.

Measurement of hydrogeologic parameters of Indian volcanic rocks by sub-surface hydronuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardhan, M.

1977-01-01

Sub-surface hydronuclear techniques namely neutron-neutron, gamma-gamma and tracer dilution logging and single and double well tracer methods were adopted to investigate the hitherto inadequately studied hydrophysical properties of the Deccan lava flows which constitute the principal Indian volcanic suit of rocks. The hydrogeologic parameters measured in the field pertain to hydrostratigraphy, hydrostorage properties and geohydraulic characteristics of these layered hard formations. Results of the studies are presented and discussed briefly. (author)

Volcanic degassing at Somma-Vesuvio (Italy) inferred by chemical and isotopic signatures of groundwater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caliro, S. [Osservatorio Vesuviano sezione di Napoli dell' Istituto, Nazionale Geofisica Vulcanologia, Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Naples (Italy)]. E-mail: caliro@ov.ingv.it; Chiodini, G. [Osservatorio Vesuviano sezione di Napoli dell' Istituto, Nazionale Geofisica Vulcanologia, Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Naples (Italy); Avino, R. [Osservatorio Vesuviano sezione di Napoli dell' Istituto, Nazionale Geofisica Vulcanologia, Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Naples (Italy); Cardellini, C. [Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Perugia (Italy); Frondini, F. [Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Perugia (Italy)

2005-06-15

A geochemical model is proposed for water evolution at Somma-Vesuvio, based on the chemical and isotopic composition of groundwaters, submarine gas emission and chemical composition of the dissolved gases. The active degassing processes, present in the highest part of the volcano edifice, strongly influence the groundwater evolution. The geological-volcanological setting of the volcano forces the waters infiltrating at Somma-Vesuvio caldera, enriched in volcanic gases, to flow towards the southern sector to an area of high pCO{sub 2} groundwaters. Reaction path modelling applied to this conceptual model, involving gas-water-rock interaction, highlights an intense degassing process in the aquifer controlling the chemical and isotopic composition of dissolved gases, total dissolved inorganic C (TDIC) and submarine gas emission. Mapping of TDIC shows a unique area of high values situated SSE of Vesuvio volcano with an average TDIC value of 0.039 mol/L, i.e., one order of magnitude higher than groundwaters from other sectors of the volcano. On the basis of TDIC values, the amount of CO{sub 2} transported by Vesuvio groundwaters was estimated at about 150 t/d. This estimate does not take into account the fraction of gas loss by degassing, however, it represents a relevant part of the CO{sub 2} emitted in this quiescent period by the Vesuvio volcanic system, being of the same order of magnitude as the CO{sub 2} diffusely degassed from the crater area.

Volcanic degassing at Somma-Vesuvio (Italy) inferred by chemical and isotopic signatures of groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caliro, S.; Chiodini, G.; Avino, R.; Cardellini, C.; Frondini, F.

2005-01-01

A geochemical model is proposed for water evolution at Somma-Vesuvio, based on the chemical and isotopic composition of groundwaters, submarine gas emission and chemical composition of the dissolved gases. The active degassing processes, present in the highest part of the volcano edifice, strongly influence the groundwater evolution. The geological-volcanological setting of the volcano forces the waters infiltrating at Somma-Vesuvio caldera, enriched in volcanic gases, to flow towards the southern sector to an area of high pCO 2 groundwaters. Reaction path modelling applied to this conceptual model, involving gas-water-rock interaction, highlights an intense degassing process in the aquifer controlling the chemical and isotopic composition of dissolved gases, total dissolved inorganic C (TDIC) and submarine gas emission. Mapping of TDIC shows a unique area of high values situated SSE of Vesuvio volcano with an average TDIC value of 0.039 mol/L, i.e., one order of magnitude higher than groundwaters from other sectors of the volcano. On the basis of TDIC values, the amount of CO 2 transported by Vesuvio groundwaters was estimated at about 150 t/d. This estimate does not take into account the fraction of gas loss by degassing, however, it represents a relevant part of the CO 2 emitted in this quiescent period by the Vesuvio volcanic system, being of the same order of magnitude as the CO 2 diffusely degassed from the crater area

Late Cretaceous Sub-Marine Fan System in Batain Mélange Zone, the Fayah Formation in Northeastern Oman

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Iftikhar Ahmed Abbasi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The Batain coast along the northeastern margin of Oman between Ra’s Al-Hadd and Ra’s Jibsch, is comprised of Permian to Late Cretaceous complex stratigraphy in a tectonically deformed area recording Permian rifting to late Cretaceous Tethys closure events. These rocks are thrust over Mesozoic and older autochthonous sedimentary cover in the form of a major nappe structure known as the Batain Nappe. The uppermost part of the Batain nappe is comprised of isolated outcrops of early Maastrichtian siliciclastic Fayah Formation dominated by gravity flow deposits. The Fayah Formation in the Jabal Fayah area is over four hundred meters thick and comprised of five distinct facies associations; namely, i coarsening-up sandstone, ii conglomerate, iii debris- flow, iv turbidite, and v inter-bedded sandstone and shale lithofacies. These lithofacies associations are repeated many times in the section. The sandstone lithofacies association exhibits a coarsening-upward trend making sequences tens of meters thick in various parts of the formation. Waterscape structures are common along with occasional sandstone dykes and convolute bedding, reflecting fluidized conditions of deposition. The conglomerate lithofacies association is comprised of a series of interbedded coarsening-upward pebble to gravel size conglomerates containing chert, limestone, granite and volcanic clasts ranging a few mm to cm in diameter. Occasionally these are interbedded with sandstone lithofacies. The conglomerate lithofacies was deposited by a high-energy channelized flow in a sub-aqueous setting. The debris-flow lithofacies association is a matrix supported chaotic mixture of clay and boulders of granite, limestone and volcanic rocks, some of which are meter-sized in diameter, and possibly derived from the nearby basement rocks such as the Jabal Ja’alan basement rocks. It constitutes the most dominant part of the formation. These sediments were deposited along a slope setting

Preliminary study of the uranium favorability of Mesozoic intrusive and Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Central Mojave Desert, Kern and San Bernardino counties, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leedom, S.H.; Kiloh, K.D.

1978-02-01

Numerous, small, low-grade, supergene uranium deposits are found in Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the central Mojave Desert of southern California. Large thorium-to-uranium ratios in samples of Mesozoic intrusive rocks exposed in the area indicate that these rocks have been extensively weathered, eroded, and subsequently leached by ground waters, and that they may have been the primary source of uranium for the deposits. The uranium content of samples of volcanic intrusive and extrusive rocks is average for intermediate to silicic rocks, but samples of basalt flows in the area contain six times the average uranium content of mafic igneous rocks. Devitrified tuffs and tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, interbedded with calcareous units, are additional sources of uranium for supergene uranium deposits found in calcareous units. Uranium is also found in accessory minerals in a few Mesozoic quartz-rich pegmatite dikes. Uranium deposits in the central Mojave Desert have been formed by enrichment during diagenetic replacement of Tertiary carbonate rocks; by supergene enrichment along fractures, joints, and bedding planes in Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks; during formation of Holocene caliche; and by deposition within hydrothermally altered shear zones. Within the area, the diagenetic replacement type of deposit has the greatest potential for large, low-grade uranium occurrences. The other type of uranium deposits are small, erratically distributed, and extensively covered by alluvium

Magnesium Isotopic Evidence for Ancient Subducted Oceanic Crust in LOMU-Like Potassium-Rich Volcanic Rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yang; Teng, Fang-Zhen; Ying, Ji-Feng; Su, Ben-Xun; Hu, Yan; Fan, Qi-Cheng; Zhou, Xin-Hua

2017-10-01

To evaluate the role of subducted oceanic crust in the genesis of potassium-rich magmas, we report high-precision Mg isotopic data for a set of Cenozoic volcanic rocks from Northeast China. These rocks overall are lighter in Mg isotopic composition than the normal mantle and display considerable Mg isotopic variations, with δ26Mg ranging from -0.61 to -0.23. The covariation of δ26Mg with TiO2 in these rocks suggests that their light Mg isotopic compositions were derived from recycled oceanic crust in the form of carbonated eclogite in the source region. The strong correlations between δ26Mg and (Gd/Yb)N ratio as well as Sr-Pb isotopes further indicate a multicomponent and multistage origin of these rocks. Magnesium isotopes may thus be used as a novel tracer of recycled oceanic crust in the source region of mantle-derived magmas.

Earthquake swarms reveal submarine magma unrest induced by distant mega-earthquakes: Andaman Sea region

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Špičák, Aleš; Vaněk, Jiří

2016-01-01

Roč. 116, February (2016), s. 155-163 ISSN 1367-9120 Institutional support: RVO:67985530 Keywords : earthquake swarms * magma migration * submarine volcanic arc Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 2.335, year: 2016

Suprasubduction volcanic rocks of the Char ophiolite belt, East Kazakhstan: new geochemical and first geochronological data

Science.gov (United States)

Safonova, Inna; Simonov, Vladimir; Seltmann, Reimar; Yamamoto, Shinji; Xiao, Wenjiao

2016-04-01

The Char ophiolite belt is located in the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt, a world largest accretionary orogen, which has evolved during more than 800 Ma. The Char belt formed during Kazakhstan - Siberia collision. It has been known for hosting fragments of Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous oceanic crust, MORB, OPB and OIB, of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (Safonova et al., 2012). The Char is surrounded by two Paleozoic island-arc terranes: Zharma-Saur in the west and Rudny Altai in the east, however, until recent times, no island-arc units have been found within it. We were the first to find island-arc units as tectonic sheets occurring adjacent to those consisting of oceanic rocks. In places, island-arc andesites cut oceanic basalts. The Char volcanic and subvolcanic rocks of a probable suprasubduction origin are basalt, microgabbro, dolerite, andesite, tonalite and dacite. The mafic to andesitic volcanics possessing low TiO2 (0.85 wt.%av.) and show MgO vs. major elements crystallization trends suggesting two magma series: tholeiitic and calc-alkaline. The tholeiitic varieties are less enriched in incompatible elements then the calc-alkaline ones. Two samples are high-Mg and low-Ti andesibasalts similar to boninites. The rocks possess moderately LREE enriched rare-earth element patterns and are characterized by negative Nb anomalies present on the multi-element spectra (Nb/Lapm = 0.14-0.47; Nb/Thpm = 0.7-1.6).The distribution of rare-earth elements (La/Smn = 0.8-2.3, Gd/Ybn = 0.7-1.9) and the results of geochemical modeling in the Nb-Yb system suggest high degrees of melting of a depleted harzburgite-bearing mantle source at spinel facies depths. Fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and opaque minerals also affected the final composition of the volcanic rocks. Clinopyroxene monomineral thermometry indicates crystallization of melts at 1020-1180°C. Melt inclusion composition based numerical calculations show that primary melts were derived at 1350

Determining magmatic series and oxygen fugacity of volcanic rocks in the east of Kamu, north of Isfahan, based on biotite chemistry

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Mohammad Sayari

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Volcanic rocks of interest are situated in the middle part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA. They are parts of a vast magmatic province located in the north of Bitlis-Zagros suture zone. Having a prevailing porphyritic texture, these rocks include phenocrysts of plagioclase, amphibole and biotite in a matrix composed of feldspar, quartz, opaque, glass and microlite and mineralogically show composition of dacite to andesite. Minerals are mostly fresh. Effects of alteration are limited to weak chloritization and saussuritization in some amphiboles and rim of plagioclases, respectively. All of the analyzed biotites in the Miocene-Pliocene volcanic rocks in the east of Kamu are of Mg-biotite. According to a widespread classification of micas to 6 general end-members, biotites of interest are averagely composed of 55.45% phlogopite, 15.90% talc, 12.72% Ti-phlogopite, 11.44% eastonite, 3.71% ferri-eastonite and 0.78% muscovite. Chemical composition of biotites indicates a calk-alkaline magmatic series for the magma from which biotites are crystallized. Estimation of the oxygen fugacity of magma, based on chemical composition and Fe3+ content of biotite, shows that the oxygen fugacity was limited to FMQ buffer in quality and was about 10-15 bar in quantity. This value accords the oxygen fugacity for intermediate-acidic volcanic rocks.

The 2011 submarine volcanic eruption of El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

López, C.; Blanco, M. J.

2012-04-01

On 10 October 2011 a submarine volcanic eruption began 2 km SW of La Restinga village in the South coast of El Hierro Island (Spain). It became the first submarine eruption reported in 500 years of historical record in the Canary Islands. The eruption took place after three months of intensive seismic activity and ground deformation. The first signal evidencing the eruption was a harmonic tremor signal, located somewhere in the South sector of El Hierro Island and registered in every seismic station on the island. On the following day, the tremoŕs amplitude increased up enough to be felt by the residents of La Restinga. The first visual evidence of the eruption was observed during the afternoon of 12 October, a large light-green coloured area on the sea surface, 2 km to the SW of La Restinga. Three days later, steaming lava fragments were observed floating on the sea, in the area where the vent was supposed to be located. These fragments had a bomb-like shape and their sizes ranged between 10 and 40 cm long. They were bicoloured, a black outer part with a basaltic composition, and a white inner part, highly vesiculated and rich in silica content (>60%). This type of fragments was only observed during the first days of the eruption. Within the next two months further emission episodes have been observed with turbulent water, foam rings and large bubbles on the sea surface. On the 27th of November new lava fragments were observed while floating and degassing on the sea surface. Most of them were "lava balloons" or hollow fragments of lavas, with sizes between 30 and 200 cm, and highly vesiculated outer crust of basaltic-basanitic and sideromelane composition. The emission of these products continues intermitently up to date (January 2012) During the eruption, the GPS monitoring network detected episodes of inflation-deflation and a maximum vertical deformation of 4 cm. The horizontal deformation, which had reached up to 5 cm before the eruption, remains stable. The

Volcanic Rocks and Features

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Volcanoes have contributed significantly to the formation of the surface of our planet. Volcanism produced the crust we live on and most of the air we breathe. The...

The origin of volcanic rock fragments in Upper Pliocene Grad Member of the Mura Formation, North-Eastern Slovenia

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Polona Kralj

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Fresh-water, coarse-grained and detritus-dominated Mura Formation in North Eastern Slovenia includes pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits originating from Upper Pliocene volcanic activity of basaltic geochemical character. Although localized in occurrence at the hamlet Grad, these pyroclastic and volcaniclastic sediments forma distinctive depositional unit, for which the term “Grad Member” is proposed and introduced in this paper.In the Grad area no lavas or cinder cones are preserved, and the origin of volcaniclastic fragments still uncertain. For this reason, chemical composition of basaltic rock fragments from the Grad Member volcaniclastics has been studied and compared with basaltic rocks from the neighboring locations at Klöch, Kindsberg, Dölling and Neuhaus. The Grad Member pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits seem to be fed from the same source which is different from the occurrences in Austria. That supports the idea about the existence of a local volcanic centre in the present Grad area. The old volcanic edificeswerepossiblydestroyed by the late-stage hydrovolcanic eruptions, and pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits subjected to constant reworking by fluvial currents in a dynamic sedimentary environment of alluvial fan and braided river systems.

Significant discharge of CO2 from hydrothermalism associated with the submarine volcano of El Hierro Island

Science.gov (United States)

Santana-Casiano, J. M.; Fraile-Nuez, E.; González-Dávila, M.; Baker, E. T.; Resing, J. A.; Walker, S. L.

2016-05-01

The residual hydrothermalism associated with submarine volcanoes, following an eruption event, plays an important role in the supply of CO2 to the ocean. The emitted CO2 increases the acidity of seawater. The submarine volcano of El Hierro, in its degasification stage, provided an excellent opportunity to study the effect of volcanic CO2 on the seawater carbonate system, the global carbon flux, and local ocean acidification. A detailed survey of the volcanic edifice was carried out using seven CTD-pH-ORP tow-yo studies, localizing the redox and acidic changes, which were used to obtain surface maps of anomalies. In order to investigate the temporal variability of the system, two CTD-pH-ORP yo-yo studies were conducted that included discrete sampling for carbonate system parameters. Meridional tow-yos were used to calculate the amount of volcanic CO2 added to the water column for each surveyed section. The inputs of CO2 along multiple sections combined with measurements of oceanic currents produced an estimated volcanic CO2 flux = 6.0 105 ± 1.1 105 kg d-1 which is ~0.1% of global volcanic CO2 flux. Finally, the CO2 emitted by El Hierro increases the acidity above the volcano by ~20%.

Evaluation of the effects of alteration and leaching on Sm Nd and Lu Hf systematics in submarine mafic rocks

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Thompson, Patricia M. E.; Kempton, Pamela D.; Kerr, Andrew C.

2008-08-01

Nd and Hf isotope systematics of oceanic basaltic rocks are often assumed to be largely immune to the effects of hydrothermal alteration. We have tested this assumption by comparing Nd and Hf isotope data for acid-leached Cretaceous oceanic basalts from Gorgona and DSDP Leg 15 with unleached data on the same rocks. Hf isotope values and Lu/Hf ratios are relatively unaffected by leaching, but 143Nd/ 144Nd values of leached samples are significantly higher than those of unleached fractions of the same sample in most cases. Furthermore, the Sm/Nd ratios of the majority of leached samples are 10-40% greater than those of unleached samples. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that selective removal of secondary minerals, such as smectite, during the acid leaching process is responsible for the fractionation of Sm/Nd ratios. These results have implications for interpretation of the Hf-Nd isotope systematics of ancient submarine rocks (older than ~ 50 Ma), as (1) the age-corrected 143Nd/ 144Nd ratio may not be representative of the primary magmatic signature and (2) the uncertainty of the age-corrected ɛNd value may exceed the assumed analytical precision.

Serreta Submarine Eruption 1998-2001, Azores: a new compositional end-member?

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Filipa Marques, Ana; Hamelin, Cédric; Madureira, Pedro; Rosa, Carlos; Silva, Pedro; Relvas, Jorge; Lourenço, Nuno; Conceição, Patrícia; Barriga, Fernando

2014-05-01

The Azores platform, where the Eurasian, Nubian and American plates meet, comprises nine volcanic islands extending to both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). East of the MAR, the plate boundary between Eurasian and Nubian plates is defined by the Terceira Rift, interpreted as an intra-oceanic spreading system where the Islands of S. Miguel, Terceira and Graciosa emerge as well and the submarine D.João de Castro Bank, separated by deep avolcanic zones [1, 2]. Submarine and subaerial lavas from the Terceira Rift are characterized by small-scale elemental and isotopic variations, and several distinct compositional end-members have been identified [2,3] supporting the concept of significant mantle source heterogeneity. A recent submarine eruption (1998-2001) occurred ~4-5 NM WNW of Terceira Island, at the Serreta Ridge where lava balloons were observed floating at the surface [4]. In 2008, an oceanographic cruise was conducted to the Serreta ridge to investigate the site of the 1998-2001 eruption, map the seafloor, identify vent location, and characterize possible products of eruption [5]. An ROV from the EMEPC (Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf) was used in this survey providing high-definition video footage and fresh lava samples. Three survey ROV dives (D15, D16, D17) were made on the Serreta ridge. D15 and D17 dives were located on the southern wall of the crater, whereas D16 explored the central and northern areas of the crater floor. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of representative samples from the Serreta submarine ridge are presented for the first time. On the 208Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb diagram Serreta samples plot on a linear array with the remaining Terceira rift samples. However, these results show that Serreta submarine volcanics lay on the most depleted end of the Terceira Rift array. Radiogenic isotopes also show that samples from the central and northern wall of the crater are distinct from the younger southern wall sector

Rare earth element mobility in arc-type volcanic rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuschel, E.; Smith, I.E.M.

1990-01-01

Some samples from arc-type volcanic suites collected in northern New Zealand and southeastern Papua New Guinea show rare earth element (REE) and Y abundances which are enriched relative to the those typical of their respective associations. This enrichment appears to be the result of an alteration process which selectively mobilises the REE and re-precipitates them as REE-bearing minerals in veins and interstitial patches. The alteration is on a micron scale and is not detected in routine petrographic examination. It is emphasised that the pattern of REE mobility in young, fresh rocks is important to igneous geochemists who use REE abundances to constrain petrogenetic models and may also be important because it indicates the operation of a natural REE enrichment process which could operate in the formation of economic REE deposits. 3 refs., 5 figs

Clinopyroxene application in petrogenesis identification of volcanic rocks associated with salt domes from Shurab (Southeast Qom

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Somayeh Falahaty

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction The study area is located in the Shurab area that is about 50 Km Southeast of Qom. Volcanic rocks of the Shurab area have basaltic composition that is associated with salt and marl units. Igneous rocks of the Shurab area have not been comprehensively studied thus far. Clinopyroxene composition of volcanic rocks, and especially the phenocrysts show Magma chemistry and can help to identify magma series (Lebas, 1962; Verhooge, 1962; Kushiro, 1960, Leterrier et al., 1982, tectonic setting (Leterrier et al., 1982; Nisbet and Pearce, 1977 as well as temperature formation and pressure of rock formation. Some geologists have estimated temperature of clinopyroxene formation by clinopyroxene composition (Adams and Bishop, 1986 and clinopyroxene-olivine couple. So, clinopyroxene is used in this study in order to identify magma series, tectonic setting, plus the temperature and pressure of volcanic rocks of the Shurab. Material and method Clinopyroxene analyses were conducted by wavelength-dispersive EPMA (JEOL JXA-8800R at the Cooperative Centre of Kanazawa University (Japan. The analyses were performed under an accelerating voltage of 15 kV and a beam current of 20 nA. The ZAF program was used for data corrections. Natural and synthetic minerals of known composition were used as standards. The Fe3+ content in minerals was estimated by Droop method (Droop, 1987. Discussion In the Shurab area, the volcanic rocks area with basaltic composition are located 50 km Southeast of Qom. Their age is the early Oligocene and they are associated with the salty marl units of the Lower Red Formation (LRF. The hand specimens of the studied rocks look green. These rocks are intergranular, microlitic, porphyric, vitrophyric and amygdaloidal and they consist of olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase. Accessory minerals contain sphene, apatite and opaque. According to Wo-En-Fs diagram (Morimoto, 1988, clinopyroxenes indicate diopside composition. Clinopyroxenes are

Nannofossils in 2011 El Hierro eruptive products reinstate plume model for Canary Islands

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Zaczek, Kirsten; Troll, Valentin R.; Cachao, Mario; Ferreira, Jorge; Deegan, Frances M.; Carracedo, Juan Carlos; Soler, Vicente; Meade, Fiona C.; Burchardt, Steffi

2015-01-01

The origin and life cycle of ocean islands have been debated since the early days of Geology. In the case of the Canary archipelago, its proximity to the Atlas orogen led to initial fracture-controlled models for island genesis, while later workers cited a Miocene-Quaternary east-west age-progression to support an underlying mantle-plume. The recent discovery of submarine Cretaceous volcanic rocks near the westernmost island of El Hierro now questions this systematic age-progression within the archipelago. If a mantle-plume is indeed responsible for the Canaries, the onshore volcanic age-progression should be complemented by progressively younger pre-island sedimentary strata towards the west, however, direct age constraints for the westernmost pre-island sediments are lacking. Here we report on new age data obtained from calcareous nannofossils in sedimentary xenoliths erupted during the 2011 El Hierro events, which date the sub-island sedimentary rocks to between late Cretaceous and Pliocene in age. This age-range includes substantially younger pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks than the Jurassic to Miocene strata known from the older eastern islands and now reinstate the mantle-plume hypothesis as the most plausible explanation for Canary volcanism. The recently discovered Cretaceous submarine volcanic rocks in the region are, in turn, part of an older, fracture-related tectonic episode.

Sediment-infill volcanic breccia from the Neoarchean Shimoga greenstone terrane, western Dharwar Craton: Implications on pyroclastic volcanism and sedimentation in an active continental margin

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Manikyamba, C.; Saha, Abhishek; Ganguly, Sohini; Santosh, M.; Lingadevaru, M.; Rajanikanta Singh, M.; Subba Rao, D. V.

2014-12-01

We report sediment-infill volcanic breccia from the Neoarchean Shimoga greenstone belt of western Dharwar Craton which is associated with rhyolites, chlorite schists and pyroclastic rocks. The pyroclastic rocks of Yalavadahalli area of Shimoga greenstone belt host volcanogenic Pb-Cu-Zn mineralization. The sediment-infill volcanic breccia is clast-supported and comprises angular to sub-angular felsic volcanic clasts embedded in a dolomitic matrix that infilled the spaces in between the framework of volcanic clasts. The volcanic clasts are essentially composed of alkali feldspar and quartz with accessory biotite and opaques. These clasts have geochemical characteristics consistent with that of the associated potassic rhyolites from Daginkatte Formation. The rare earth elements (REE) and high field strength element (HFSE) compositions of the sediment-infill volcanic breccia and associated mafic and felsic volcanic rocks suggest an active continental margin setting for their generation. Origin, transport and deposition of these rhyolitic clasts and their aggregation with infiltrated carbonate sediments may be attributed to pyroclastic volcanism, short distance transportation of felsic volcanic clasts and their deposition in a shallow marine shelf in an active continental margin tectonic setting where the rhyolitic clasts were cemented by carbonate material. This unique rock type, marked by close association of pyroclastic volcanic rocks and shallow marine shelf sediments, suggest shorter distance between the ridge and shelf in the Neoarchean plate tectonic scenario.

Precursory diffuse CO2 and H2S emission signatures of the 2011-2012 El Hierro submarine eruption, Canary Islands

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Pérez, Nemesio M.; Padilla, Germán D.; Padrón, Eleazar; Hernández, Pedro A.; Melián, Gladys V.; Barrancos, José; Dionis, Samara; Nolasco, Dácil; Rodríguez, Fátima; Calvo, David; Hernández, Íñigo

2012-08-01

On October 12, 2011, a submarine eruption began 2 km off the coast of La Restinga, south of El Hierro Island. CO2 and H2S soil efflux were continuously measured during the period of volcanic unrest by using the accumulation chamber method at two different geochemical stations, HIE01 and HIE07. Recorded CO2 and H2S effluxes showed precursory signals that preceded the submarine eruption. Beginning in late August, the CO2 efflux time series started increasing at a relatively constant rate over one month, reaching a maximum of 19 gm-2d-1 one week before the onset of the submarine volcanic eruption. The H2S efflux time series at HIE07 showed a pulse in H2S emission just one day before the initiation of the submarine eruption, reaching peak values of 42 mg m-2 d-1, 10 times the average H2S efflux recorded during the observation period. Since CO2 and H2S effluxes are strongly influenced by external factors, we applied a multiple regression analysis to remove their contribution. A statistical analysis showed that the long-term trend of the filtered data is well correlated with the seismic energy. We find that these geochemical stations are important monitoring sites for evaluating the volcanic activity of El Hierro and that they demonstrate the potential of applying continuous monitoring of soil CO2 and H2S efflux to improve and optimize the detection of early warning signals of future volcanic unrest episodes at El Hierro. Continuous diffuse degassing studies would likely prove useful for monitoring other volcanoes during unrest episodes.

Paleointensity Variation of The Earth's Magnetic Field Obtained from Neogene and Quaternary Volcanic Rocks in Central Anatolian Plateau

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Kaya, Nurcan; Makaroǧlu, Özlem; Hisarlı, Z. Mümtaz

2017-04-01

We present the variation of the earth magnetic field intensity obtained from Neogene and Quaternary volcanic rocks located in the Central Anatolian plateau. Total of four hundred and fifty volcanic rocks were sub-sampled in eighteen different sites around the study region. A modified Thellier method including the Leonhardt protocol was used to determine paleointensity values. Paleointensity results from ten sites were accepted according to the confidence criteria . According to first results the average total paleointensity field values, indicated by F, are 51.797±5.044 μT for site NK8,NK17,NK18,NK15 with age of 4.4-10.7 my, 51.91±4.651 for site NK4, NK3, NK12, NK6, NK11, NK14 with age of 0.1-2.6 m.y. The average VDMs (Virtual Dipol Moments) correspond to 8.39x1022 , 8.92x1022 Am2 for the four Neogene and six Quaternary rocks sites respectively. Our data were correlated with IAGA database that were obtained from the surrounding area. The correlation showed that the paleointensity data from the Central Anatolia plateau considerably agree with the IAGA data.

Petrogenesis of siliceous high-Mg series rocks as exemplified by the Early Paleoproterozoic mafic volcanic rocks of the Eastern Baltic Shield: enriched mantle versus crustal contamination

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Bogina, Maria; Zlobin, Valeriy; Sharkov, Evgenii; Chistyakov, Alexeii

2015-04-01

The Early Paleoproterozoic stage in the Earth's evolution was marked by the initiation of global rift systems, the tectonic nature of which was determined by plume geodynamics. These processes caused the voluminous emplacement of mantle melts with the formation of dike swarms, mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, and volcanic rocks. All these rocks are usually considered as derivatives of SHMS (siliceous high-magnesian series). Within the Eastern Baltic Shield, the SHMS volcanic rocks are localized in the domains with different crustal history: in the Vodlozero block of the Karelian craton with the oldest (Middle Archean) crust, in the Central Block of the same craton with the Neoarchean crust, and in the Kola Craton with a heterogeneous crust. At the same time, these rocks are characterized by sufficiently close geochemical characteristics: high REE fractionation ((La/Yb)N = 4.9-11.7, (La/Sm)N=2.3-3.6, (Gd/Yb)N =1.66-2.74)), LILE enrichment, negative Nb anomaly, low to moderate Ti content, and sufficiently narrow variations in Nd isotope composition from -2.0 to -0.4 epsilon units. The tectonomagmatic interpretation of these rocks was ambiguous, because such characteristics may be produced by both crustal contamination of depleted mantle melts, and by generation from a mantle source metasomatized during previous subduction event. Similar REE patterns and overlapping Nd isotope compositions indicate that the studied basaltic rocks were formed from similar sources. If crustal contamination en route to the surface would play a significant role in the formation of the studied basalts, then almost equal amounts of contaminant of similar composition are required to produce the mafic rocks with similar geochemical signatures and close Nd isotopic compositions, which is hardly possible for the rocks spaced far apart in a heterogeneous crust. This conclusion is consistent with analysis of some relations between incompatible elements and their ratios. In particular, the

Lava delta deformation as a proxy for submarine slope instability

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Di Traglia, Federico; Nolesini, Teresa; Solari, Lorenzo; Ciampalini, Andrea; Frodella, William; Steri, Damiano; Allotta, Benedetto; Rindi, Andrea; Marini, Lorenzo; Monni, Niccolò; Galardi, Emanuele; Casagli, Nicola

2018-04-01

The instability of lava deltas is a recurrent phenomenon affecting volcanic islands, which can potentially cause secondary events such as littoral explosions (due to interactions between hot lava and seawater) and tsunamis. It has been shown that Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a powerful technique to forecast the collapse of newly emplaced lava deltas. This work goes further, demonstrating that the monitoring of lava deltas is a successful strategy by which to observe the long-term deformation of subaerial-submarine landslide systems on unstable volcanic flanks. In this paper, displacement measurements derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery were used to detect lava delta instability at Stromboli volcano (Italy). Recent flank eruptions (2002-2003, 2007 and 2014) affected the Sciara del Fuoco (SdF) depression, created a "stacked" lava delta, which overlies a pre-existing scar produced by a submarine-subaerial tsunamigenic landslide that occurred on 30 December 2002. Space-borne X-band COSMO-SkyMED (CSK) and C-band SENTINEL-1A (SNT) SAR data collected between February 2010 and October 2016 were processed using the SqueeSAR algorithm. The obtained ground displacement maps revealed the differential ground motion of the lava delta in both CSK and SNT datasets, identifying a stable area (characterized by less than 2 mm/y in both datasets) within the northern sector of the SdF and an unstable area (characterized by velocity fields on the order of 30 mm/y and 160 mm/y in the CSK and SNT datasets, respectively) in the central sector of the SdF. The slope stability of the offshore part of the SdF, as reconstructed based on a recently performed multibeam bathymetric survey, was evaluated using a 3D Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM). In all the simulations, Factor of Safety (F) values between 0.9 and 1.1 always characterized the submarine slope between the coastline and -250 m a.s.l. The critical surfaces for all the search volumes corresponded to

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of Late Devonian arc volcanic rocks in southern Beishan orogen, NW China: Geochemical and Nd-Sr-Hf isotopic constraints

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Guo, Qian-Qian; Chung, Sun-Lin; Xiao, Wen-Jiao; Hou, Quan-Lin; Li, Shan

2017-05-01

Late Devonian (ca. 370 Ma) volcanic rocks provide important information about the nature of magmatism during the tectonic transition between the Early and Late Paleozoic in the Beishan orogen, southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. They are predominantly an andesitic-dacitic-rhyolitic assemblage, characterized by alkali contents ranging from slightly calcic to slightly alkaline. The rhyolitic rocks are generally ferroan, whereas the andesitic rocks are magnesian. These volcanic rocks exhibit similar trace element characteristics to those of continental arcs. Strongly negative εNd(t) values (- 2.8 to - 3.6) and high Sr isotopic compositions (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7036-0.7108) suggest that they are mainly derived from an ancient crust. However, the positive zircon εHf(t) values (+ 1.4 to + 16.4) support the role of juvenile components in their genesis, indicating the significant input of new mantle-derived magmas. These characteristics imply a hybrid derivation, from an ancient crustal source with the addition of juvenile materials during magma genesis, or perhaps heterogeneous contamination or hybridization during magma emplacement. Combined with the regional geology, our results indicate that the Late Devonian magmatism resulted from a southward retreat of the subduction zone, which records significant continental crustal growth in a transitional arc or an accretionary arc setting. The distinct geochemical compositions, especially the Nd-Hf isotope decoupling of the Dundunshan volcanic rocks, imply a significant change in the geodynamic setting in the Late Paleozoic.

Groundwater flow in a relatively old oceanic volcanic island: The Betancuria area, Fuerteventura Island, Canary Islands, Spain

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Herrera, Christian, E-mail: cherrera@ucn.cl [Universidad Católica del Norte, Av. Angamos 0610, Antofagasta (Chile); Custodio, Emilio [Department of Geo-Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona (Spain)

2014-10-15

The island of Fuerteventura is the oldest of the Canary Islands' volcanic archipelago. It is constituted by volcanic submarine and subaerial activity and intrusive Miocene events, with some residual later volcanism and Quaternary volcanic deposits that have favored groundwater recharge. The climate is arid, with an average rainfall that barely attains 60 mm/year in the coast and up to 200 mm/year in the highlands. The aquifer recharge is small but significant; it is brackish due to large airborne atmospheric salinity, between 7 and 15 g m{sup −2} year{sup −1} of chloride deposition, and high evapo-concentration in the soil. The average recharge is estimated to be less than about 5 mm/year at low altitude and up to 10 mm/year in the highlands, and up to 20 mm/year associated to recent lava fields. Hydrochemical and water isotopic studies, supported by water table data and well and borehole descriptions, contribute a preliminary conceptual model of groundwater flow and water origin in the Betancuria area, the central area of the island. In general, water from springs and shallow wells tends to be naturally brackish and of recent origin. Deep saline groundwater is found and is explained as remnants of very old marine water trapped in isolated features in the very low permeability intrusive rocks. Preliminary radiocarbon dating indicates that this deep groundwater has an apparent age of less than 5000 years BP but it is the result of mixing recent water recharge with very old deep groundwater. Most of the groundwater flow occurs through the old raised volcanic shield of submarine and subaerial formations and later Miocene subaerial basalts. Groundwater transit time through the unsaturated zone is of a few decades, which allows the consideration of long-term quasi-steady state recharge. Transit times are up to a few centuries through the saturated old volcanics and up to several millennia in the intrusive formations, where isolated pockets of very old water may

Division of volcanic activity cycles in the late mesozoic in South Jiangxi and North Guangdong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qinglong; Wu Jianhua

1999-01-01

Based on stratigraphical unconformity, rock association, fossil assemblage, isotope age and tectonic features, the volcanic activity in late Mesozoic in south Jiangxi and north Guandong can be divided into four cycles: Yutian volcanic activity cycle, Lianhuazhai volcanic activity cycle. Banshi volcanic activity cycle and Nanxiong volcanic activity cycle. Yutian volcanic cycle which occurs in middle Jurassic epoch is the bimodal rock association composed of rhyolite and basalt. Lianhuazhai volcanic cycle which occurs in late Jurassic epoch is unimodal rock association composed of rhyolite. Banshi volcanic cycle occurs from the late stage of early Cretaceous to the early stage of late Cretaceous epoch. There are two types of rock associations related to this cycle: unimodal rock association composed of rhyolite or basalt and bimodal rock association composed of rhyolite and basalt. Nanxiong volcanic activity cycle which occurred in late stage of late Cretaceous epoch is the unimodal rock association composed of basalt which is the interlayer of the red sedimentary series

Regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, and tectonic significance of Oligocene-Miocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks, northern Baja California, Mexico

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Dorsey, Rebecca J.; Burns, Beverly

1994-01-01

Upper Oligocene (?) to middle Miocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks in northern Baja California were deposited along the western margin of North America during subduction of the Guadalupe plate and southward migration of the Rivera Triple Junction. Regional mapping and compilation of stratigraphic data reveal a sequence of three regionally traceable stratigraphic units. (1) Oligocene (?) to lower Miocene Mesa Formation: basal quartz-rich fluvial sandstone, grus, conglomerate, and accessory facies, whose detrital compositions reflect the composition of local pre-Tertiary basement rock. (2) Lower to middle Miocene Comondú Formation: laterally variable sequence of volcaniclastic conglomerate, breccia, sandstone, tuff and minor volcanic flow units. (3) Widespread mesa-capping rhyolite tuff, typically welded and crystal-rich, probably upper Miocene in age. The Mesa Formation overlies a highly irregular and deeply dissected erosional surface developed on pre-Tertiary basement rock. The shift from pre-Mesa erosion to widespread (though localized) deposition and valley-filling records the final phase of late Cretaceous to middle Tertiary regional subsidence and eastward transgression that resulted from slow cooling and thermal contraction of Cretaceous arc crust during a temporal gap in magmatic activity along the western Cordilleran margin. Nonmarine sediments of the Mesa Formation were deposited in small, steep-walled paleovalleys and basins that gradually filled and evolved to form through-going, low-energy ephemeral stream systems. The gradational upward transition from the Mesa to Comondú Formation records the early to middle Miocene onset of subduction-related arc magmatism in eastern Baja California and related westward progradation of alluvial volcaniclastic aprons shed from high-standing eruptive volcanic centers. Pre-existing streams were choked with the new influx of volcanic detritus, causing the onset of rapid sediment deposition by stream flows and dilute

Lead isotopic compositions of South Sandwich Island volcanic rocks and their bearing on magmagenesis in intra-oceanic island arcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barreiro, B.

1983-01-01

Pb isotope ratios have been measured in 12 volcanic rocks from the South Sandwich Islands. The results are reported. In 207 Pb/ 204 Pb- 206 Pb/ 204 Pb and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb- 206 Pb/ 204 Pb correlation diagrams, the South Sandwich data plot distinctly above the fields for ocean ridge basalts, and yield trends showing apparent mixing with a sedimentary end member similar to South Atlantic pelagic sediments as reported by Chow and Patterson (1962) and this study. Armstrong and Cooper (1971) have likewise shown that volcanics from the Lesser Antilles show mixing trends with North Atlantic sediments in Pb isotope correlation diagrams. The North Atlantic sediments have distinctly higher 206 Pb/ 204 Pb and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios compared to the South Atlantic sediments. The parallel relationships between sediments and volcanic island arc rocks of the North and South Atlantic provide strong evidence for a component of Pb from subducted sediments in the lavas of the west Atlantic basin. In contrast to these data, lavas from the Mariana Arc in the western Pacific show little or no component of Pb from pelagic sediments. The reason for the different behaviors in the two settings is speculative. (author)

Carboniferous volcanic rocks associated with back-arc extension in the western Chinese Tianshan, NW China: Insight from temporal-spatial character, petrogenesis and tectonic significance

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Su, Wenbo; Cai, Keda; Sun, Min; Wan, Bo; Wang, Xiangsong; Bao, Zihe; Xiao, Wenjiao

2018-06-01

The Yili-Central Tianshan Block, as a Late Paleozoic major continental silver of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, holds a massive volume of Carboniferous volcanic rocks, occurring as subparallel magmatic belts. However, the petrogenesis and tectonic implications of these volcanic rocks remain enigmatic. This study compiled isotopic age data for mapping their temporal-spatial character, and conducted petrogenetic study of these magmatic belts, aiming to understand their tectonic implications. Our compiled dataset reveals four magmatic belts in the Yili-Central Tianshan Block, including the Keguqinshan-Tulasu belt and the Awulale belt in the north, and the Wusun Mountain belt and the Haerk-Nalati belt in the south. In addition, our new zircon U-Pb dating results define two significant Early Carboniferous eruptive events (ca. 355-350 Ma and 325 Ma) in the Wusun Mountain belt. Volcanic rocks of the early significant eruptive event (ca. 355-350 Ma) in the Wusun Mountain comprise basalt, trachy-andesite, andesite, dacite and rhyolite, which are similar to the typical rock assemblage of a continental arc. Their positive εNd(t) values (+0.3 to +1.5) and relatively high Th/Yb and Nb/Yb ratios suggest the derivation from a mantle source with additions of slab-derived components. The gabbroic dykes and rhyolites of the late volcanic event (ca. 325 Ma) form a bimodal rock association, and they show alkaline features, with relatively low Th/Yb and Th/Nb ratios, and higher positive εNd(t) values (εNd(t) = +3.3-+5.0). It is interpreted that the gabbroic dykes and rhyolites may have been derived from mantle and juvenile crustal sources, respectively. The isotopic and trace elemental variations with time elapse of the Wusun Mountain magmatic belt show an important clue for strengthening depletion of the magma sources. Considering the distinctive temporal-spatial character of the Carboniferous volcanic rocks, two separate subduction systems in the southern and northern margins of

Hydrothermal Alteration in Submarine Basaltic Rocks from the Reykjanes Geothermal Field, Iceland. (Invited)

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Zierenberg, R. A.; Schiffman, P.; Fowler, A. P.; Marks, N.; Fridleifsson, G.; Elders, W. A.

2013-12-01

The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is preparing to drill to 4-5 km in the Reykjanes Geothermal Field to sample geothermal fluids at supercritical temperature and pressure for power generation. The Reykjanes geothermal field is the on-land extension of the Reykjanes Ridge spreading center. The upper 1-2 kilometers drilled at Reykjanes are submarine basalts and basaltic sediments, hyalloclastites, and breccias, with an increasing proportion of basaltic intrusive rocks below 2 km depth. Geothermal fluids are evolved seawater with a composition similar to mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems. Zn- and Cu-rich sulfide scale, locally enriched in Au and Ag, are deposited in production pipes. The sulfide deposits are compositionally and isotopically similar to seafloor massive sulfides. In anticipation of deeper drilling, we have investigated the mineralogy and geochemistry of drill cuttings from a 3 km deep well (RN-17). The depth zoning of alteration minerals is similar to that described from other Icelandic geothermal fields, and is comparable to observed seafloor metamorphic gradients in ODP drill holes and ophiolites. Chlorite-epidote alteration occurs at depths >400 m and passes downhole through epidote-actinolite alteration and into amphibole facies (hornblende-calcic plagioclase) alteration below 2.5 km. Local zones of high temperature (>800°C), granoblastic-textured, pyroxene hornfels, are interpreted to form by contact metamorphism during dike/sill emplacement. Similar granoblasically altered basalts were recovered from the base of the sheeted dikes in IODP Hole 1256D. Downhole compositional variations of drill cuttings, collected every 50 m, suggest that rocks below ~ 2 km are little altered. Whole-rock oxygen isotope profiles are consistent with low water/rock ratios, but suggest that early stages of hydrothermal alteration included meteoric water-derived fluids. Strontium isotope profiles indicate more extensive exchange with seawater-derived fluids

Geomorphological features in the southern Canary Island Volcanic Province: The importance of volcanic processes and massive slope instabilities associated with seamounts

Science.gov (United States)

Palomino, Desirée; Vázquez, Juan-Tomás; Somoza, Luis; León, Ricardo; López-González, Nieves; Medialdea, Teresa; Fernández-Salas, Luis-Miguel; González, Francisco-Javier; Rengel, Juan Antonio

2016-02-01

The margin of the continental slope of the Volcanic Province of Canary Islands is characterised by seamounts, submarine hills and large landslides. The seabed morphology including detailed morphology of the seamounts and hills was analysed using multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, and very high resolution seismic profiles. Some of the elevation data are reported here for the first time. The shape and distribution of characteristics features such as volcanic cones, ridges, slides scars, gullies and channels indicate evolutionary differences. Special attention was paid to recent geological processes that influenced the seamounts. We defined various morpho-sedimentary units, which are mainly due to massive slope instability that disrupt the pelagic sedimentary cover. We also studied other processes such as the role of deep bottom currents in determining sediment distribution. The sediments are interpreted as the result of a complex mixture of material derived from a) slope failures on seamounts and submarine hills; and b) slides and slumps on the continental slope.

Geochemistry, geochronology, and tectonic setting of Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the northern segment of the Tan-Lu Fault region, northeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Yi-Yun; Zhang, Jin-Jiang; Liu, Kai; Ge, Mao-Hui; Wang, Meng; Wang, Jia-Min

2017-08-01

We present new geochemical and geochronological data for volcanic and related rocks in the regions of the Jia-Yi and Dun-Mi faults, in order to constrain the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northern segment of the Tan-Lu Fault. Zircon U-Pb dating shows that rhyolite and intermediate-mafic rocks along the southern part of the Jia-Yi Fault formed at 124 and 113 Ma, respectively, whereas the volcanic rocks along the northern parts of the Jia-Yi and Dun-Mi faults formed at 100 Ma. The rhyolite has an A-type granitoid affinity, with high alkalis, low MgO, Ti, and P contents, high rare earth element (REE) contents and Ga/Al ratios, enrichments in large-ion lithophile (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Th, and U) and high-field-strength element (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, and Y), and marked negative Eu anomalies. These features indicate that the rhyolites were derived from partial melting of crustal material in an extensional environment. The basaltic rocks are enriched in light REEs and LILEs (e.g., Rb, K, Th, and U), and depleted in heavy REEs, HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti, and P), and Sr. These geochemical characteristics indicate that these rocks are calc-alkaline basalts that formed in an intraplate extensional tectonic setting. The dacite is a medium- to high-K, calc-alkaline, I-type granite that was derived from a mixed source involving both crustal and mantle components in a magmatic arc. Therefore, the volcanic rocks along the Jia-Yi and Dun-Mi faults were formed in an extensional regime at 124-100 Ma (Early Cretaceous), and these faults were extensional strike-slip faults at this time.

Measurement of cosmogenic 36Cl/Cl in young volcanic rocks: An application of accelerator mass spectrometry in geochronology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leavy, B.D.; Phillips, F.M.; Elmore, D.; Kubik, P.W.

1987-01-01

We have measured 36 Cl/Cl ratios in a number of young volcanic rocks in order to test the feasibility of using 36 Cl buildup as a geochronometer for materials less than about 700,000 years old. All of the analyzed rocks have been dated independently using K-Ar or other radiometric dating methods and have exposure histories that are known or can be reasonably assumed. Measured 36 Cl/Cl ratios in these rocks are in good agreement with the calculated in-situ 36 Cl buildup curve. These analyses indicate that AMS measurement of 36 Cl buildup in young rocks is a potentially powerful new method for dating materials that had previously been undatable, and as such will have broad applications in volcanology, tectonics, geophysics, and Quaternary research

Tectonic setting of the Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Cady, Wallace M.

1975-01-01

Lower and middle Eocene abyssal and Hawaiian type tholeiitic basalts form two accumulations that apparently were once far out on the east flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, within the Juan de Fuca plate. One of these (more than 15 km thick) is near the eastern and southeastern periphery of the Olympic Peninsula, and the other (about 5 km thick) is on the north. The tholeiites stratigraphically overlie and interfinger with Paleocene(?) and lower and middle Eocene marine turbidites and shales; one flow includes boulders that, like clasts in the sediments, were derived from the North American continental plate immediately to the east. The basalts are overlain stratigraphically by middle Eocene to middle Miocene clastic marine sedimentary rocks, which are in turn overlapped unconformably on the south and west by upper Miocene (?) and Pliocene, chiefly shallow-marine clastic rocks. These various peripheral rocks flank a middle or late Miocene structurally complex dome, or orocline convex to the east, in which originally east dipping and low angle late Eocene to late Miocene underthrusts are flexed. The outermost underthrust of the complex separates the chiefly volcanic peripheral rocks to the north, east, and south from stratigraphically correlative and comparable, though predominantly sedimentary, core rocks arranged in northwest trending arcuate belts or packets bounded by fault zones. Before underthrusting, and perhaps oroclinal folding connected with doming, the pre-middle Miocene section was possibly 150 to 200 km wide compared with the present Olympic Peninsula which is 120 km wide. The section accumulated on the ocean floor near the western margin of the continent, before and during subduction of the oceanic crust.

Scientific Ocean Drilling to Assess Submarine Geohazards along European Margins

Science.gov (United States)

Ask, M. V.; Camerlenghi, A.; Kopf, A.; Morgan, J. K.; Ocean DrillingSeismic Hazard, P. E.

2008-12-01

Submarine geohazards are some of the most devastating natural events in terms of lives lost and economic impact. Earthquakes pose a big threat to society and infrastructure, but the understanding of their episodic generation is incomplete. Tsunamis are known for their potential of striking coastlines world-wide. Other geohazards originating below the sea surface are equally dangerous for undersea structures and the coastal population: submarine landslides and volcanic islands collapse with little warning and devastating consequences. The European scientific community has a strong focus on geohazards along European and nearby continental margins, especially given their high population densities, and long historic and prehistoric record of hazardous events. For example, the Mediterranean is surrounded by very densely-populated coastline and is the World's leading holiday destination, receiving up 30% of global tourism. In addition, its seafloor is criss-crossed by hydrocarbon pipelines and telecommunication cables. However, the governing processes and recurrence intervals of geohazards are still poorly understood. Examples include, but are not limited to, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions along the active tectonic margins of the Mediterranean and Sea of Marmara, landslides on both active and passive margins, and tsunamites and seismites in the sedimentary record that suggest a long history of similar events. The development of geophysical networks, drilling, sampling and long-term monitoring are crucial to the understanding of earthquake, landslide, and tsunami processes, and to mitigate the associated risks in densely populated and industrialized regions such as Europe. Scientific drilling, particularly in the submarine setting, offers a unique tool to obtain drill core samples, borehole measurements and long-term observations. Hence, it is a critical technology to investigate past, present, and possible future influences of hazardous processes in this area. The

Characterizing Volcanic Processes using Near-bottom, High Resolution Magnetic Mapping of the Caldera and Inner Crater of the Kick'em Jenny Submarine Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Ruchala, T. L.; Chen, M.; Tominaga, M.; Carey, S.

2016-12-01

Kick'em Jenny (KEJ) is an active submarine volcano located in the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, 7.5 km north of the Caribbean island Grenada. KEJ, known as one of the most explosive volcanoes in Caribbean, erupted 12 times since 1939 with recent eruptions in 2001 and possibly in 2015. Multiple generations of submarine landslides and canyons have been observed in which some of them can be attributed to past eruptions. The structure of KEJ can be characterized as a 1300 m high conical profile with its summit crater located around 180 m in depth. Active hydrothermal venting and dominantly CO2 composition gas seepage take place inside this 250m diameter crater, with the most activity occurring primarily within a small ( 70 x 110 m) depression zone (inner crater). In order to characterize the subsurface structure and decipher the processes of this volcanic system, the Nautilus NA054 expedition in 2014 deployed the underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Hercules to conduct near-bottom geological observations and magnetometry surveys transecting KEJ's caldera. Raw magnetic data was corrected for vehicle induced magnetic noise, then merged with ROV to ship navigation at 1 HZ. To extract crustal magnetic signatures, the reduced magnetic data was further corrected for external variations such as the International Geomagnetic Reference Field and diurnal variations using data from the nearby San Juan Observatory. We produced a preliminary magnetic anomaly map of KEJ's caldera for subsequent inversion and forward modeling to delineate in situ magnetic source distribution in understanding volcanic processes. We integrated the magnetic characterization of the KEJ craters with shipboard multibeam, ROV visual descriptions, and photomosaics. Initial observations show the distribution of short wavelength scale highly magnetized source centered at the north western part of the inner crater. Although locations of gas seeps are ubiquitous over the inner crater area along ROV

Sources of Quaternary volcanism in the Itasy and Ankaratra volcanic fields, Madagascar

Science.gov (United States)

Rasoazanamparany, C.; Widom, E.; Kuentz, D. C.; Raharimahefa, T.; Rakotondrazafy, F. M. A.; Rakotondravelo, K. M.

2017-12-01

We present new major and trace element and Sr, Nd, Pb and Os isotope data for Quaternary basaltic lavas and tephra from the Itasy and Ankaratra volcanic fields, representing the most recent volcanism in Madagascar. Mafic magmas from Itasy and Ankaratra exhibit significant inter- and intra-volcanic field geochemical heterogeneity. The Itasy eruptive products range in composition from foidite to phonotephrite whereas Ankaratra lavas range from basanite to trachybasalts. Trace element signatures of samples from both volcanic fields are very similar to those of ocean island basalts (OIB), with significant enrichment in Nb and Ta, depletion in Rb, Cs, and K, and relatively high Nb/U and Ce/Pb. However, the Itasy volcanic rocks show enrichment relative to those of Ankaratra in most incompatible elements, indicative of a more enriched source and/or lower degrees of partial melting. Significant inter- and intra-volcanic field heterogeneity is also observed in Sr, Nd, Pb and Os isotope signatures. The Itasy volcanic rocks generally have less radiogenic Sr and Nd isotopic ratios but more radiogenic Pb isotopic signatures than the Ankaratra volcanic field. Together, the Itasy and Ankaratra volcanic rocks form a well-defined negative correlation in Sr vs. Pb isotopes that could be attributed to lithospheric contamination or variable degrees of mixing between distinct mantle sources. However, the lack of correlation between isotopes and indices of crustal contamination (e.g. MgO and Nb/U) are inconsistent with shallow lithospheric contamination, and instead suggest mixing between compositionally distinct mantle sources. Furthermore, although Sr-Pb isotope systematics are apparently consistent with mixing between two different sources, distinct trends in Sr vs. Nd isotopes displayed by samples from Itasy and Ankaratra, respectively, argue for more complex source mixing involving three or more sources. The current data demonstrate that although the Itasy and Ankaratra volcanic

An evaluation and geochemical survey of the Farah Garan East Prospect, Southeast Asir, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Bookstrom, Arthur A.; El Komi, Mohamed; Christian, Ralph P.; Bazzari, Maher A.

1990-01-01

The Farah Garan East prospect (MODS 4886) is located in the southeastern part of the Precambrian Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia, about 15 km east-northeast of Zahran Al Janub and 1 km northeast of the ancient mines at Farah Garan. Ore minerals at the Farah Garan East prospect are pyrite, tennantite, galena, and sphalerite. These are sparsely and erratically distributed in west-dipping beds of dolomite, dolomite-talc breccia, and carbonate-sericite phyllite, and in associated breccias and zones of carbonate-altered mafic metavolcanic rocks, all of Precambrian age. Concordant beds of dolomite and carbonate-sericite phyllite are interlayered with metavolcanic rocks and are interpreted as volcanic-related submarine hydrothermal deposits of Precambrian age. Funnel-shaped bodies of dolomite-talc breccia that crop out near the north and south ends of the dolomite beds are interpreted as submarine hot-spring vent breccias. Aprons of exhalative dolomite thin laterally outward from these vents. Discordant and concordant zones of carbonate-altered metavolcanic rocks, east of and structurally below the hot-spring vents, probably represent pathways of hydrothermal circulation along networks of fractures in volcanic rocks, subjacent to these Precambrian submarine hot-spring vents.

VOLCANIC TSUNAMI GENERATING SOURCE MECHANISMS IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Pararas-Carayannis

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, volcanic island flank failures and underwater slides have generated numerous destructive tsunamis in the Caribbean region. Convergent, compressional and collisional tectonic activity caused primarily from the eastward movement of the Caribbean Plate in relation to the North American, Atlantic and South American Plates, is responsible for zones of subduction in the region, the formation of island arcs and the evolution of particular volcanic centers on the overlying plate. The inter-plate tectonic interaction and deformation along these marginal boundaries result in moderate seismic and volcanic events that can generate tsunamis by a number of different mechanisms. The active geo-dynamic processes have created the Lesser Antilles, an arc of small islands with volcanoes characterized by both effusive and explosive activity. Eruption mechanisms of these Caribbean volcanoes are complex and often anomalous. Collapses of lava domes often precede major eruptions, which may vary in intensity from Strombolian to Plinian. Locally catastrophic, short-period tsunami-like waves can be generated directly by lateral, direct or channelized volcanic blast episodes, or in combination with collateral air pressure perturbations, nuéss ardentes, pyroclastic flows, lahars, or cascading debris avalanches. Submarine volcanic caldera collapses can also generate locally destructive tsunami waves. Volcanoes in the Eastern Caribbean Region have unstable flanks. Destructive local tsunamis may be generated from aerial and submarine volcanic edifice mass edifice flank failures, which may be triggered by volcanic episodes, lava dome collapses, or simply by gravitational instabilities. The present report evaluates volcanic mechanisms, resulting flank failure processes and their potential for tsunami generation. More specifically, the report evaluates recent volcanic eruption mechanisms of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat, of Mt. Pel

Precursory diffuse CO2 emission signature of the 2011 El Hierro submarine eruption, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, N. M.; Padilla, G. D.; Padrón, E.; Hernández, P. A.; Melián, G. V.; Barrancos, J.; Dionis, S.; Rodríguez, F.; Nolasco, D.; Calvo, D.; Hernández, I.; Peraza, M. D.

2012-04-01

El Hierro is the youngest and southernmost island of the Canarian archipelago and represents the summit of a volcanic shield elevating from the surrounding seafloor at depth of 4000 m to up to 1501 m above sea level. The island is believed to be near the present hotspot location in the Canaries with the oldest subaerial rocks dated at 1.12 Ma. The subaerial parts of the El Hierro rift zones (NE, NW and S Ridges) are characterized by tightly aligned dyke complexes with clusters of cinder cones as their surface expressions. Since 16 July, an anomalous seismicity at El Hierro Island was recorded by IGN seismic network. Volcanic tremor started at 05:15 on 10 October, followed on the afternoon of 12 October by a green discolouration of seawater, strong bubbling and degassing, and abundant bombs on a decimetre scale found floating on the ocean surface offshore, southwest of La Restinga village, indicating the occurrence of a submarine volcanic eruption at approximately 2 km far the coast line of La Restinga. Further episodes have occurred during November, December 2011 and January 2012, with turbulent water, foam rings, and volcanic material again reaching the sea surface. In order to improve the volcanic surveillance program of El Hierro Island and to provide a multidisciplinary approach, a continuous geochemical station to measure CO2 efflux was installed on September 2003 in Llanos de Guillen, the interception center of the three volcanic-rift zones of the island, with the aim of detecting changes in the diffuse emission of CO2 related to the seismic or volcanic activity. The station measures on an hourly basis the CO2 and H2S efflux, the CO2 and H2S air concentrations, the soil water content and temperature and the atmospheric parameters: wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity and barometric pressure. The meteorological parameters together with the air CO2 concentration are measured 1 m above the ground and the soil water content and soil temperature

The questa magmatic system: Petrologic, chemical and isotopic variations in cogenetic volcanic and plutonic rocks of the latir volcanic field and associated intrusives, northern New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.M.

1986-01-01

Field, chemical and isotopic data demonstrate that nearly all igneous rocks at Questa resulted from interactions between mantle-derived parental magmas and the crust. Strontium, neodymium and lead isotope ratios of early andesites to rhyolites (28 to 26 Ma) indicate that these magmas assimilated > 25% lower crust. Injection of basaltic magmas extensively modified the strontium and neodymium but not the lead isotope compositions of the lower crust. Eruption of comendite magmas and the peralkaline Amalia Tuff 26 Ma is correlated with inception of regional extension. Lead isotope ratios identify different sources for the metaluminous granites and the peralkaline rocks. 26 Ma metaluminous granite to granodiorite intrusions have chemical and isotopic compositions to those of the precaldera intermediate-composition rocks, and are interpreted as representing the solidified equivalents of the precaldera magmatic episode. However, both conventional and ion-microprobe isotopic data prohibit significant assimilation of crustal rocks at the level of exposure, suggesting that the plutons were emplaced a relatively crystal-rich mushes which did not have sufficient heat to assimilate country rocks. This suggest that in some cases plutonic rocks are better than volcanic rocks in representing the isotopic compositions of their source regions, because the assimilation potential of crystal-rich magmas is significantly less than that of largely liquid magmas

Petrology, geochemistry, and tectonic setting of Tertiary volcanic and intrusive rocks in the north of Shahr-e-Firouzeh (northeast of Iran)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malekzadeh Shafaroudi, A.; Karimpour, M. H.; Zarei, A.

2016-01-01

The study area is located in 15 km of the north of Shahr-e-Firouzeh in Khorasan Razavi province. The area is situated in the southeast of Quchan-Sabzevar arc magmatic. Lithology of the district includes dacitic lavas, which are intruded by Oligocene porphyritic hornblende granodioritic stock and granodioritic dike as subvolcanic and plutonic rocks. Igneous rocks were overlapped by younger sedimentary rocks. The texture of dacitic unit is porphyric to glomeroporphic with flow groundmass. Quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, and hornblende are the main minerals. The texture of hornblende granodiorite porphyry is porphyric to glomeroporphic and plagioclase, K-feldspar, hornblende, and quartz are the common minerals, whereas granodiorite unit is granular and hornblende is not present. Based on geochemical studies, the acidic volcanic and intrusive rocks show metaluminous and medium-K nature. These rocks belong to the I-type granitoid. Enrichment of LREE versus HREE and enrichment of LILE and depletion in HFSE indicate magma formed in subduction zone. The melt originated from partial melting of amphibolite with 10 to 25% garnet. Based on the average amount of major oxides, enrichment of LREE, mostly positive Eu anomaly, high Sr (up to 499 ppm), and low Y (<13 ppm) and Yb (<1.4 ppm) contents, the magma show silica-rich adakitic nature. The intrusive and volcanic rocks of the northern Shahr-e-Firouzeh were generated by partial melting of Sabzevar Neotethyan young and hot subducted oceanic crust and mantle wedge in the continental margin of the Turan plate.

Agronomic behavior of phosphoric rock from Bahia Inglesa using isotopic techniques. 2. Greenhouse experiment in three volcanic ash soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pino N, I.; Casas G, L.

1989-01-01

With the aim to evaluate the behaviour of phosphoric rock in regard to the sorption capacity from three volcanic ash soils, a greenhouse trial was carried out. The isotopic dilution method with triple superphosphate labeled P32 (TSP-32) was used. Total dry matter, P total was determined by colorimetry and the liquid scintillation method for P32 was used. The evaluation of the rock was measured through different isotopical parameters such as A value and P derived from the rock. The behaviour of this material was affected by the different properties of the soils mainly on account of the diverse sorption capacity of them giving an inverse relation among sorption and effectiveness of the rock. The results showed a higher efficiency of TSP for the three soils compared with the phosphoric rock either concentrated or not. (author)

Soil gas 222Rn and volcanic activity at El Hierro (Canary Islands) before and after the 2011 submarine eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, G.; Hernández, P. A.; Padrón, E.; Barrancos, J.; Melián, G.; Dionis, S.; Rodríguez, F.; Nolasco, D.; Calvo, D.; Hernández, I.; Pereza, M. D.; Pérez, N. M.

2012-04-01

El Hierro (278 km2) is the southwesternmost island of the Canarian archipelago. From June 19, 2011 to January 2012, more than 11,950 seismic events have been detected by the seismic network of IGN. On 10 October 2011 the earthquake swarm changed its behaviour and produced a harmonic tremor due to magma movement, indicating that a submarine eruption located at 2 km south of La Restinga had started which is still in progress. Since 2003, the ITER Environmental Research Division now integrated in the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias, INVOLCAN, has regularly performed soil gas surveys at El Hierro as a geochemical tool for volcanic surveillance. Among the investigated gases, soil gas radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) have played a special attention. Both gases are characterized to ascend towards the surface mainly through cracks or faults via diffusion or advection, mechanisms dependent of both soil porosity and permeability, which in turn vary as a function of the stress/strain changes at depth. Years before the starts of the volcanic-seismic crisis on July 17, 2011, a volcanic multidisciplinary surveillance program was implemented at El Hierro including discrete and continuous measurements of 222Rn and 220Rn. Two soil gas 222Rn surveys had been carried out at El Hierro in 2003 and 2011, and four continuous geochemical monitoring stations for 222Rn and 220Rn measurements had been installed (HIE02, HIE03, HIE04 and HIE08). Soil gas 222Rn surveys were carried out at the surface environment of El Hierro after selecting 600 sampling observation sites (about 40 cm depth). Geochemical stations measure 222Rn and 220Rn activities by pumping the gas from a PVC pipe inserted 1m in the ground and thermally isolated. The results of the 2003 and 2011 soil gas 222Rn surveys show clearly a relatively higher observed 222Rn activities in the surface environment on 2011 than those observed on 2003 when no anomalous seismicity were taking place beneath El Hierro. The observed

High-pressure mechanical instability in rocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Byerlee, J D; Brace, W F

1969-05-09

At a confining pressure of a few kilobars, deformation of many sedimentary rocks, altered mafic rocks, porous volcanic rocks, and sand is ductile, in that instabilities leading to audible elastic shocks are absent. At pressures of 7 to 10 kilobars, however, unstable faulting and stick-slip in certain of these rocks was observed. This high pressure-low temperature instability might be responsible for earthquakes in deeply buried sedimentary or volcanic sequences.

Ore-forming environment and ore-forming system of carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposit in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi Fucheng; Zhang Zilong; Li Zhixing; He Zhongbo; Wang Wenquan

2012-01-01

It is proposed that there are four types of ore-forming systems about carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposit in China based on systematic study on structural environment and distribution regularity of uraniferous construction of marine carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock in China: continental margin rift valley ore-forming systems, continental margin rifting deep fracture zone ore-forming systems, landmass boundary borderland basin ore-forming systems and epicontinental mobile belt downfaulted aulacogen ore-forming systems. It is propounded definitely that it is controlled by margin rift valley ore-forming systems and continental margin rifting deep fracture zone ore-forming systems for large-scale uranium mineralization of carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock type uranium deposit in China, which is also controlled by uraniferous marine carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock construction made up of silicalite, siliceous phosphorite and carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock, which settled down accompany with submarine backwash and sub marine volcanic eruption in margin rift valley and continental margin rifting mineralizing environment. Continental mar gin rift valley and continental margin rifting thermal sedimentation or exhalation sedimentation is the mechanism of forming large-scale uraniferous marine carbonaceous-siliceous-pelitic rock construction Early Palaeozoic Era in China or large-scale uranium-polymetallic mineralization. (authors)

Role of crustal assimilation and basement compositions in the petrogenesis of differentiated intraplate volcanic rocks: a case study from the Siebengebirge Volcanic Field, Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, K. P.; Kirchenbaur, M.; Fonseca, R. O. C.; Kasper, H. U.; Münker, C.; Froitzheim, N.

2016-06-01

The Siebengebirge Volcanic Field (SVF) in western Germany is part of the Cenozoic Central European Volcanic Province. Amongst these volcanic fields, the relatively small SVF comprises the entire range from silica-undersaturated mafic lavas to both silica-undersaturated and silica-saturated differentiated lavas. Owing to this circumstance, the SVF represents a valuable study area representative of intraplate volcanism in Europe. Compositions of the felsic lavas can shed some new light on differentiation of intraplate magmas and on the extent and composition of potential crustal assimilation processes. In this study, we provide detailed petrographic and geochemical data for various differentiated SVF lavas, including major and trace element concentrations as well as Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotope compositions. Samples include tephriphonolites, latites, and trachytes with SiO2 contents ranging between 53 and 66 wt%. If compared to previously published compositions of mafic SVF lavas, relatively unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf coupled with radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr and 207Pb/204Pb lead to the interpretation that the differentiated volcanic rocks have assimilated significant amounts of lower crustal mafic granulites like the ones found as xenoliths in the nearby Eifel volcanic field. These crustal contaminants should possess unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf, radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr, and highly radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb compositions requiring the presence of ancient components in the central European lower crust that are not sampled on the surface. Using energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallisation (EC-AFC) model calculations, differentiation of the SVF lithologies can be modelled by approximately 39-47 % fractional crystallisation and 6-15 % crustal assimilation. Notably, the transition from silica-undersaturated to silica-saturated compositions of many felsic lavas in the SVF that is difficult to account for in closed-system models is also well explained by

Geochemical stratigraphy of submarine lavas (3-5 Ma) from the Flamengos Valley, Santiago, Cape Verde

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barker, Abigail K; Holm, Paul Martin; Peate, David W.

2009-01-01

New high-precision Pb-Sr-Nd isotope, major and trace element and mineral chemistry data are presented for the submarine stage of ocean island volcanism on Santiago, one of the southern islands of the Cape Verde archipelago. Pillow basalts and hyaloclastites in the Flamengos Valley are divided...

Geochemistry of the late Holocene rocks from the Tolbachik volcanic field, Kamchatka: Quantitative modelling of subduction-related open magmatic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Portnyagin, Maxim; Duggen, Svend; Hauff, Folkmar; Mironov, Nikita; Bindeman, Ilya; Thirlwall, Matthew; Hoernle, Kaj

2015-12-01

We present new major and trace element, high-precision Sr-Nd-Pb (double spike), and O-isotope data for the whole range of rocks from the Holocene Tolbachik volcanic field in the Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD). The Tolbachik rocks range from high-Mg basalts to low-Mg basaltic trachyandesites. The rocks considered in this paper represent mostly Late Holocene eruptions (using tephrochronological dating), including historic ones in 1941, 1975-1976 and 2012-2013. Major compositional features of the Tolbachik volcanic rocks include the prolonged predominance of one erupted magma type, close association of middle-K primitive and high-K evolved rocks, large variations in incompatible element abundances and ratios but narrow range in isotopic composition. We quantify the conditions of the Tolbachik magma origin and evolution and revise previously proposed models. We conclude that all Tolbachik rocks are genetically related by crystal fractionation of medium-K primary magmas with only a small range in trace element and isotope composition. The primary Tolbachik magmas contain 14 wt.% of MgO and 4% wt.% of H2O and originated by partial melting ( 6%) of moderately depleted mantle peridotite with Indian-MORB-type isotopic composition at temperature of 1250 °C and pressure of 2 GPa. The melting of the mantle wedge was triggered by slab-derived hydrous melts formed at 2.8 GPa and 725 °C from a mixture of sediments and MORB- and Meiji-type altered oceanic crust. The primary magmas experienced a complex open-system evolution termed Recharge-Evacuation-Fractional Crystallization (REFC). First the original primary magmas underwent open-system crystal fractionation combined with periodic recharge of the magma chamber with more primitive magma, followed by mixing of both magma types, further fractionation and finally eruption. Evolved high-K basalts, which predominate in the Tolbachik field, and basaltic trachyandesites erupted in 2012-2013 approach steady-state REFC liquid

Geochemistry and tectonomagatic setting of Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Kangan area, northeast of Sarbisheh, southern Khorasan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahshid Malekian Dastjerdi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction The study area is located 12km away from the north east of Sarbisheh at the eastern border of the Lut block (Karimpour et al., 2011; Richards et al., 2012. The magmatic activity in the Lut blockhas begun in the middle Jurassic (165-162 Ma and reached its peak in the Tertiary age (Jung et al., 1983; Karimpour et al., 2011. Volcanic and subvolcanic rocks in the Tertiary age cover over half of the Lut block with up to 2000 m thickness and they were formed due to subduction prior to the collision of the Arabian and Asian plates (Jung et al., 1983; Karimpour et al., 2011. In the Kangan area, the basaltic lavas cropped out beyond the above intermediate to acid volcanic rocks. In this area, bentonite and perlite deposits have an economic importance. The main purpose of this paper is to present a better understanding of the tectono-magmatic settings of volcanic rocks in the northeast of Sarbisheh, east of Iran based on their geochemical characteristics. Materials and methods Fifteen samples were analyzed for major elements by inductively coupled plasma (ICP technologies and trace elements by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, following a lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion and nitric acid total digestion, at the Acme laboratories, Vancouver, Canada. Results The Kangan area is located at the northeast of Sarbishe, Southern Khorasan and the eastern border of the Lut block. In this area, basaltic lavas have cropped out above intermediate to acid lavas such as andesite, dacite, rhyolite (sometimes perlitic .The main minerals in the basalt are plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene, in andesite contain plagioclase, pyroxene, biotite and amphibole and in acid rocks include plagioclase, quartz, sanidine, biotite and amphibole. Intermediate to acid rocks have medium to high-K calc-alkaline nature and basalt is alkaline. Enrichment in LREE relative to HREE (Ce/Yb= 21.14-28.7, high ratio of Zr/Y(4.79- 10.81, enrichment in LILE

Isotope dates and strontium isotopic ratios for plutonic and volcanic rocks in the Quesnel Trough and Nicola Belt, south central British Columbia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preto, V.A.; McMillan, W.J.; Armstrong, R.L.

1979-01-01

Four distinct events of the southern Intermontane Belt are represented in new K-Ar and Rb-Sr dates. The first and regionally most important event is sharply defined by new K-Ar dates between 200 and 209 Ma for the Thuya, Wildhorse, Iron Mask, and Allison batholiths and a 205 +- 10 Ma Rb-Sr isochron for the Guichon Creek batholith. All these plutons were emplaced approximately at the change from Triassic to Jurassic time. The related and slightly older Nicola volcanic rocks are altered by addition of more radiogenic sedimentary Sr (Carnian Nicola limestone having 87 Sr/ 86 Sr=0.7075+- 1) and do not give an isochron date. The Coldwater stock is anomalously old (K-Ar dates range from 215-267 Ma). The Mid- to late Jurassic igneous event is indicated by a 141 Ma K-Ar date for the Mount Martley batholith. Mid-Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Kingsvale Group give a Rb-Sr isochron date of 112 +- 10 Ma and are postdated by the crosscutting and slightly younger Summers Creek stock (100 Ma by K-Ar). The final event straddles the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary with the Nicola batholith emplaced about 60 Ma ago (K-Ar) and the Rey Lake stock perhaps slightly earlier (69 Ma by K-Ar). Initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios range from 0.7025-0.7046 with a mean and mode near 0.7037 which is within the range of modern circum-Pacific volcanoes. Initial ratios of 0.7034 +- 1 for the Guichon Creek batholith, 0.7035 +- 1 for the Iron Mask batholith 70435 +-10 for the Thuya batholith, and 0.70379 +- 4 for the Kingsvale volcanic rocks are the most precisely determined. The Coldwater stock is anomalously low at 0.7025. For the other plutonic bodies only scattered or single analyses are available. The Nicola volcanic rocks appear to have once been similar in initial ratio the the Guichon Creek batholith but their calculated initial ratios now scatter from 0.7034-0.7073. (auth)

∼1400 Ma alkali metasomatic event in the sericite deposits and basal Aravalli volcanic rocks of Udaipur region, Rajasthan

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Padmakumari, V.M.; Sreenivas, B.; Srinivasan, R.; Gopalan, K.; Roy, A.B.

1996-01-01

Paleosols are residual soil profiles of the geological past. They throw light on the climatic conditions prevalent during their formation. Constraining their age is of importance for deciphering the paleoclimatic history of a region. A suite of K-rich spilitic volcanic rocks immediately overlying the paleosol near Nagaria have been analysed

Quantitative volcanic susceptibility analysis of Lanzarote and Chinijo Islands based on kernel density estimation via a linear diffusion process

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Galindo, I.; Romero, M. C.; Sánchez, N.; Morales, J. M.

2016-06-01

Risk management stakeholders in high-populated volcanic islands should be provided with the latest high-quality volcanic information. We present here the first volcanic susceptibility map of Lanzarote and Chinijo Islands and their submarine flanks based on updated chronostratigraphical and volcano structural data, as well as on the geomorphological analysis of the bathymetric data of the submarine flanks. The role of the structural elements in the volcanic susceptibility analysis has been reviewed: vents have been considered since they indicate where previous eruptions took place; eruptive fissures provide information about the stress field as they are the superficial expression of the dyke conduit; eroded dykes have been discarded since they are single non-feeder dykes intruded in deep parts of Miocene-Pliocene volcanic edifices; main faults have been taken into account only in those cases where they could modified the superficial movement of magma. The application of kernel density estimation via a linear diffusion process for the volcanic susceptibility assessment has been applied successfully to Lanzarote and could be applied to other fissure volcanic fields worldwide since the results provide information about the probable area where an eruption could take place but also about the main direction of the probable volcanic fissures.

Petrography, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of post-ophiolitic volcanic rocks in the Ratouk area (south of Gazik, east of Iran

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Zahra Vahedi Tabas

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction Basaltic volcanoes are one of the volcanisms that have occurred in different parts of the world. The study of these lavas is important for petrologists, because they are seen in different tectonic settings and therefore diverse mechanisms affect their formation (Chen et al., 2007. Young volcanic rocks such as Quaternary basalts are one of latest products of magmatism in Iran that are related to deep fractures and active faults in Quaternary (Emami, 2000. The study area is located at 140km east of Birjand at Gazik 1:100000 geological map (Guillou et al., 1981 and have 60̊ 11' to 60̊ 15 '27" eastward longitude and 32̊ 33' 24" to 32̊ 39' 10" northward latitude. On the basis of structural subdivisions of Iran, this area is located in the northern part of the Sistan suture zone (Tirrul et al., 1983. Because of the importance of basaltic rocks in Sistan suture, this research is done with the aim of investigating the petrography and mineralogy of basaltic lavas, the nature of basaltic and intermediate magmatism and finally determination of tectonomagmatic regime. Materials and methods After field studies and sampling, 85 thin sections were prepared and carefully studied. Then ten samples with the lowest alteration were analyzed for major elements by inductively coupled plasma (ICP technologies and trace elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, following a lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion and nitric acid total digestion at the Acme laboratories, Vancouver, Canada. Electron probe micro analyses of clinopyroxene and olivine were done at the Iranian mineral processing research center (IMPRC by Cameca SX100 machine. X-ray diffraction analysis of minerals was done at the X-ray laboratory of the University of Birjand. Results In 60km south of GaziK at the east of the southern Khorasan province and the northern part of the Sistan suture zone, volcanic rocks with intermediate (Oligomiocene and

Volcanism, Iron, and Phytoplankton in the Heard and McDonald Islands Region, Southern Indian Ocean

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Coffin, M. F.; Arculus, R. J.; Bowie, A. R.; Chase, Z.; Robertson, R.; Trull, T. W.; Heobi in2016 v01 Shipboard Party, T.

2016-12-01

Phytoplankton supply approximately half of the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, and iron supply limits the growth of phytoplankton in the anemic Southern Ocean. Situated entirely within the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean are Australia's only active subaerial volcanoes, Heard and McDonald islands (HIMI) on the central Kerguelen Plateau, a large igneous province. Widespread fields of submarine volcanoes, some of which may be active, extend for distances of up to several hundred kilometers from the islands. The predominantly eastward-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current sweeps across the central Kerguelen Plateau, and extensive blooms of phytoplankton are observed on the Plateau down-current of HIMI. The goal of RV Investigator voyage IN2016_V01, conducted in January/February 2016, is to test the hypothesis that hydrothermal fluids, which cool active submarine volcanoes in the HIMI region, ascend from the seafloor and fertilise surface waters with iron, thereby enhancing biological productivity beginning with phytoplankton. Significant initial shipboard results include: Documentation, for the first time, of the role of active HIMI and nearby submarine volcanoes in supplying iron to the Southern Ocean. Nearshore waters had elevated dissolved iron levels. Although biomass was not correspondingly elevated, fluorescence induction data indicated highly productive resident phytoplankton. Discovery of >200 acoustic plumes emanating from the seafloor and ascending up to tens of meters into the water column near HIMI. Deep tow camera footage shows bubbles rising from the seafloor in an acoustic plume field north of Heard Island. Mapping 1,000 km2 of uncharted seafloor around HIMI. Submarine volcanic edifices punctuate the adjacent seafloor, and yielded iron-rich rocks similar to those found on HIMI, respectively. Acoustic plumes emanating from some of these features suggest active seafloor hydrothermal systems.

Petrogenesis of Pliocene Alkaline Volcanic Rocks from Southeastern Styrian Basin, Austria

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Ali, Sh.; Ntaflos, Th.

2009-04-01

Petrogenesis of Pliocene Alkaline Volcanic Rocks from Southeastern Styrian Basin, Austria Sh. Ali and Th. Ntaflos Dept. of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Austria Neogene volcanism in the Alpine Pannonian Transition Zone occurred in a complex geodynamic setting. It can be subdivided into a syn-extentional phase that comprises Middle Miocene dominantly potassic, intermediate to acidic volcanism and a post-extensional phase, which is characterized by eruption of alkaline basaltic magmas during the Pliocene to Quartenary in the Styrian Basin. These alkaline basaltic magmas occur as small eruptive centers dominating the geomorphology of the southeastern part of the Styrian Basin. The eruptive centers along the SE Styrian Basin from North to South are: Oberpullendorf, Pauliberg, Steinberg, Strandenerkogel, Waltrafelsen and Klöch. The suite collected volcanic rocks comprise alkali basalts, basanites and nephelinites. Pauliberg: consists of alkali basalts that exhibit a narrow range of SiO2 (44.66-47.70 wt %) and wide range of MgO (8.52-13.19-wt %), are enriched in TiO2 (3.74-4.18 wt %). They are enriched in incompatible trace elements such as Zr (317-483 ppm), Nb (72.4-138 ppm) and Y (30.7-42 ppm). They have Nb/La ratio of 1.89 (average) and Cen/Ybn=15.22-23.11. Oberpullendorf: it also consists of alkali basalts with higher SiO2 (50.39 wt %) and lower TiO2 (2.80 wt %) if compared with the Pauliberg suite. Incompatible trace elements are lower than in Pauliberg; Zr =217 ppm, Nb=49.8 ppm, Y=23.6 ppm and Nb/La=1.93. The Oberpullendorf alkalibasalts are relative to Pauliberg lavas more depleted in LREE (Cen/Ybn=12.78). Steinberg: it consists of basanites with SiO2=44.49-46.85 wt %, MgO=6.30-9.13-wt %, and TiO2 =2.09-2.26 wt %. They are enriched in incompatible trace elements such as Zr (250-333 ppm), Nb (94-130 ppm), Y (24.7-31.9 ppm) and Nb/La=1.59 (average). The Cen/Ybn ratio varies between 18.17 and 22.83 indicating relative steep REE chondrite normalized

Submarine Groundwater Discharge in the Coastal Zone

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Bakti, Hendra

2018-02-01

Indonesia is one of the archipelagic countries that has the longest coastline in the world. Because it is located in the tropics, in general it has a very high rainfall. Each island has a different morphology which is composed of a variety of rocks with different hydrogeological properties. This natural condition allows for the presence of groundwater in different amount in each island. The difference in groundwater hydraulics gradients in aquifer continuous to the sea has triggered the discharge of groundwater to offshore known as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Its presence can be as seepage or submarine springs with components derived from land and sea and a mixture between them. The understanding of SGD phenomenon is very important because it can be useful as a source of clean water in coastal areas, affecting marine health, and improving marine environment.

Link between the granitic and volcanic rocks of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa

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Schweitzer, J. K.; Hatton, C. J.; De Waal, S. A.

1997-02-01

Until recently, it was proposed that the Bushveld Complex, consisting of the extrusive Rooiberg Group and the intrusive Rashoop Granophyre, Rustenburg Layered and Lebowa Granite Suites, evolved over a long period of time, possibly exceeding 100 Ma. Most workers therefore considered that the various intrusive and extrusive episodes were unrelated. Recent findings suggest that the intrusive, mafic Rustenburg Layered Suite, siliceous Rashoop Granophyre Suite and the volcanic Rooiberg Group were synchronous, implying that the Bushveld igneous event was short-lived. Accepting the short-lived nature of the complex, the hypothesis that the granites are genetically unrelated to the other events of the Bushveld Complex can be reconsidered. Re-examination of the potential Rooiberg Group/Lebowa Granite Suite relationship suggests that the granites form part of the Bushveld event. Rhyolite lava, granite and granophyre melts originated from a source similar in composition to upper crustal rocks. This source is interpreted to have been melted by a thermal input associated with a mantle plume. Granite intruded after extrusion of the last Rooiberg rhyolite, or possibly overlapped in time with the formation of the youngest volcanic flows.

Geochronology and geochemistry of the Early Jurassic Yeba Formation volcanic rocks in southern Tibet: Initiation of back-arc rifting and crustal accretion in the southern Lhasa Terrane

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Wei, Youqing; Zhao, Zhidan; Niu, Yaoling; Zhu, Di-Cheng; Liu, Dong; Wang, Qing; Hou, Zengqian; Mo, Xuanxue; Wei, Jiuchuan

2017-05-01

Understanding the geological history of the Lhasa Terrane prior to the India-Asia collision ( 55 ± 10 Ma) is essential for improved models of syn-collisional and post-collisional processes in the southern Lhasa Terrane. The Miocene ( 18-10 Ma) adakitic magmatism with economically significant porphyry-type mineralization has been interpreted as resulting from partial melting of the Jurassic juvenile crust, but how this juvenile crust was accreted remains poorly known. For this reason, we carried out a detailed study on the volcanic rocks of the Yeba Formation (YF) with the results offering insights into the ways in which the juvenile crust may be accreted in the southern Lhasa Terrane in the Jurassic. The YF volcanic rocks are compositionally bimodal, comprising basalt/basaltic andesite and dacite/rhyolite dated at 183-174 Ma. All these rocks have an arc-like signature with enriched large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Ba and U) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti). They also have depleted whole-rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions, pointing to significant mantle isotopic contributions. Modeling results of trace elements and isotopes are most consistent with the basalts being derived from a mantle source metasomatized by varying enrichment of subduction components. The silicic volcanic rocks show the characteristics of transitional I-S type granites, and are best interpreted as resulting from re-melting of a mixed source of juvenile amphibole-rich lower crust with reworked crustal materials resembling metagraywackes. Importantly, our results indicate northward Neo-Tethyan seafloor subduction beneath the Lhasa Terrane with the YF volcanism being caused by the initiation of back-arc rifting. The back-arc setting is a likely site for juvenile crustal accretion in the southern Lhasa Terrane.

K-Ar geochronology and palaeomagnetism of volcanic rocks in the lesser Antilles island arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briden, J.C.; Rex, D.C.; Faller, A.M.; Tomblin, J.F.

1979-01-01

K-Ar age determinations on rocks and minerals from 95 locations in the Lesser Antilles. An age range of 38 - 10 million years was found for the outer arc (Limestone Caribbees) but less than 7.7 million years in the inner arc (Volcanic Caribbees). From Martinique southwards the two arcs are superimposed. These age ranges fit between discontinuities in sea floor spreading in the North Atlantic at about 38 and 9 million years and a causal connection between spreading change and relocation of arc volcanicity is suggested. Paleomagnetic directions at 108 localities in 10 islands fall into normal and reversed groups with 6 sites intermediate and 5 indeterminate. The mean dipole axis is within 2% of the present rotation axis. The data generally agrees with the established geomagnetic polarity time scale but there is some suggestion of a normal polarity event at about 1.18 million years. The paleomagnetic data suggest that in the past 10 million years the Lesser Antilles have not changed their latitude or geographical orientation and the geomagnetic field has averaged that of a central axial dipole. (author)

Reconnaissance geology of the Jibal Matalli Quadrangle, sheet 27/40 D, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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Ekren, E.B.

1984-01-01

The Jibal Matalli quadrangle lies along the northern boundary of the Arabian Shield about 90 km west-southwest of Ha'il. The quadrangle consists of about 45 percent Precambrian bedrock, 50 percent Quaternary deposits, and 5 percent sedimentary cover rocks. The Precambrian rocks include volcaniclastic and volcanic rocks that are slightly metamorphosed and various granitic plutons. The volcaniclastic and volcanic rocks are correlated with the Hulayfah group and the Hadn formation. The older Hulayfah is principally basalt of probably submarine origin that has locally been metamorphosed to greenschist facies. The Hadn is composed of submarine and subaerial deposits. These consist of volcanic-derived sandstone and siltstone and lesser amounts of chiefly rhyolite volcanic rocks. In most areas, the Hadn shows little in the way of metamorphic effects, but locally it too has been metamorphosed to greenschist facies. The volcanic rocks of the Hadn include ash-flow tuffs; some appear to be water-laid, but others are subaerial. The oldest pluton is diorite, those of intermediate age are monzogranite and syenogranite, and the youngest are alkali feldspar granites. The largest pluton, a metaluminous, low-calcium, biotite monzogranite, occupies much of the southern part of the quadrangle. The alkali feldspar granites are mostly peralkaline; the two youngest are particularly so. The latter two are located in the southwest and southeast corners of the quadrangle, and both contain arfvedsonite and kataphorite. The pluton in the southeast grades outward from a peraluminous core to a peralkaline, comenditic peripheral zone and is inferred to be genetically related to a spectacular, west-trending comendite dike swarm in the southern half of the quadrangle.

Subaqueous early eruptive phase of the late Aptian Rajmahal volcanism, India: Evidence from volcaniclastic rocks, bentonite, black shales, and oolite

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Naresh C. Ghose

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The late Aptian (118–115 Ma continental flood basalts of the Rajmahal Volcanic Province (RVP are part of the Kerguelen Large Igneous Province, and constitute the uppermost part of the Gondwana Supergroup on the eastern Indian shield margin. The lower one-third of the Rajmahal volcanic succession contains thin layers of plant fossil-rich inter-trappean sedimentary rocks with pyroclasts, bentonite, grey and black shale/mudstone and oolite, whereas the upper two-thirds consist of sub-aerial fine-grained aphyric basalts with no inter-trappean material. At the eastern margin and the north-central sector of the RVP, the volcanics in the lower part include rhyolites and dacites overlain by enstatite-bearing basalts and enstatite-andesites. The pyroclastic rocks are largely felsic in composition, and comprise ignimbrite as well as coarse-grained tuff with lithic clasts, and tuff breccia with bombs, lapilli and ash that indicate explosive eruption of viscous rhyolitic magma. The rhyolites/dacites (>68 wt.% are separated from the andesites (<60 wt.% by a gap in silica content indicating their formation through upper crustal anatexis with only heat supplied by the basaltic magma. On the other hand, partially melted siltstone xenoliths in enstatite-bearing basalts suggest that the enstatite-andesites originated through mixing of the upper crust with basaltic magma, crystallizing orthopyroxene at a pressure-temperature of ∼3 kb/1150 °C. In contrast, the northwestern sector of the RVP is devoid of felsic-intermediate rocks, and the volcaniclastic rocks are predominantly mafic (basaltic in composition. Here, the presence of fine-grained tuffs, tuff breccia containing sideromelane shards and quenched texture, welded tuff breccia, peperite, shale/mudstone and oolite substantiates a subaqueous environment. Based on these observations, we conclude that the early phase of Rajmahal volcanism occurred under predominantly subaqueous conditions. The presence

Spectral characterization of volcanic rocks in the VIS-NIR for martian exploration

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De Angelis, Simone; Carli, Cristian; Manzari, Paola; De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; Capaccioni, Fabrizio

2016-10-01

Igneous effusive rocks cover much of the surface of Mars [1,2,3]. Initially only two types of lithologies were thought to constitute the Martian crust, i.e. a basaltic one and a more andesitic one [1,2], while more evolved lithologies were ruled out.Nevertheless a more complex situation is appearing in the last years. Recently several observations have highlighted the presence of evolved, acidic rocks. High-silica dacite units were identified in Syrtis Major caldera by thermal IR data [4]. Outcrops in Noachis Terra were interpreted as constituted of felsic (i.e. feldspar-rich) rocks essentially by the observation of a 1.3-µm spectral feature in CRISM data, attributed to Fe2+ in feldspars [5]. However different interpretations exist, invoking plagioclase-enriched basalts [6] rather than felsic products.The increasing of high-resolution and in-situ rover-based observations datasets and the changing of the initial paradigm justify a new systematic spectral study of igneous effusive rocks. In this work we focus on the spectral characterization of volcanic effusive rocks in the 0.35-2.5-µm range. We are carrying out measurements and spectral analyses on a wide ensemble of effusive samples, from mafic to sialic, with variable alkali contents, following the classification in the Total-Alkali-Silica diagram, and discussing the influence on spectral characteristics of different mineral assemblages and/or texture ([7], [8]). [1] Bandfield J.L., et al., Science, 287, 1626, 2000; [2] Christensen P.R., et al., J. Geophys. Res., 105, N.E4, 9609-9621, 2000; [3] Ehlmann B.L. & Edwards C.S., Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 42, 291-315, 2014; [4] Christensen P.R., et al., Nature, 436, 504-509, 2005; [5] Wray J.J., et al., 44th LPSC, abs. n.3065, 2013; [6] Rogers A.D. & Nekvasil H., Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2619-2626, 2015; [7] Carli C. and Sgavetti M.,Icarus, 211, 1034-1048, 2011; [7] Carli C. et al., SGL, doi 10.1144/SP401.19, 2015.

Multi-stage volcanic island flank collapses with coeval explosive caldera-forming eruptions.

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Hunt, James E; Cassidy, Michael; Talling, Peter J

2018-01-18

Volcanic flank collapses and explosive eruptions are among the largest and most destructive processes on Earth. Events at Mount St. Helens in May 1980 demonstrated how a relatively small (300 km 3 ), but can also occur in complex multiple stages. Here, we show that multistage retrogressive landslides on Tenerife triggered explosive caldera-forming eruptions, including the Diego Hernandez, Guajara and Ucanca caldera eruptions. Geochemical analyses were performed on volcanic glasses recovered from marine sedimentary deposits, called turbidites, associated with each individual stage of each multistage landslide. These analyses indicate only the lattermost stages of subaerial flank failure contain materials originating from respective coeval explosive eruption, suggesting that initial more voluminous submarine stages of multi-stage flank collapse induce these aforementioned explosive eruption. Furthermore, there are extended time lags identified between the individual stages of multi-stage collapse, and thus an extended time lag between the initial submarine stages of failure and the onset of subsequent explosive eruption. This time lag succeeding landslide-generated static decompression has implications for the response of magmatic systems to un-roofing and poses a significant implication for ocean island volcanism and civil emergency planning.

Reservoir characteristics and control factors of Carboniferous volcanic gas reservoirs in the Dixi area of Junggar Basin, China

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Ji'an Shi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Field outcrop observation, drilling core description, thin-section analysis, SEM analysis, and geochemistry, indicate that Dixi area of Carboniferous volcanic rock gas reservoir belongs to the volcanic rock oil reservoir of the authigenic gas reservoir. The source rocks make contact with volcanic rock reservoir directly or by fault, and having the characteristics of near source accumulation. The volcanic rock reservoir rocks mainly consist of acidic rhyolite and dacite, intermediate andesite, basic basalt and volcanic breccia: (1 Acidic rhyolite and dacite reservoirs are developed in the middle-lower part of the structure, have suffered strong denudation effect, and the secondary pores have formed in the weathering and tectonic burial stages, but primary pores are not developed within the early diagenesis stage. Average porosity is only at 8%, and the maximum porosity is at 13.5%, with oil and gas accumulation showing poor performance. (2 Intermediate andesite and basic basalt reservoirs are mainly distributed near the crater, which resembles the size of and suggests a volcanic eruption. Primary pores are formed in the early diagenetic stage, secondary pores developed in weathering and erosion transformation stage, and secondary fractures formed in the tectonic burial stage. The average porosity is at 9.2%, and the maximum porosity is at 21.9%: it is of the high-quality reservoir types in Dixi area. (3 The volcanic breccia reservoir has the same diagenetic features with sedimentary rocks, but also has the same mineral composition with volcanic rock; rigid components can keep the primary porosity without being affected by compaction during the burial process. At the same time, the brittleness of volcanic breccia reservoir makes it easily fracture under the stress; internal fracture was developmental. Volcanic breccia developed in the structural high part and suffered a long-term leaching effect. The original pore-fracture combination also made

Volcanic Characteristics of Kueishantao in Northeast Taiwan and Their Implications

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Ching-Lung Chiu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Kueishantao (KST is a small offshore volcanic island located at the southernmost part of the Okinawa Trough. In this study, we conducted a detailed mapping incorporating the new high resolution LiDAR DTM laser scanning device to accurately construct a volcanic sequence. A new 1/5000 geological map was established. One primary volcanic cone, composed of layers of both lava flows and pyroclastic rocks constituted the major edifice of KST. The other minor volcanic cone, which consists of volcanic lapillis and blocks, is seated to the east of the main cone. The escarped and nearly straight coast in the southern part of the KST indicates that the volcano suffered a large post-volcanic edifice collapse erasing nearly one half of the volume of both volcanic cones. The increase in the abundance of the xenoliths of sedimentary rocks from the lower to the upper part of the volcanic sequence indicates that the formation of volcanic rocks of the KST involved an intensification of crustal contamination. The possibility of volcanic eruption can not be excluded in the future based on the present thermolu¬minescene age data of 7 ka. The associated eruptive ash fall and tsunami induced by the further collapse of the KST volcanic edifice might have great influence to the adjacent inland. Thus, long-term monitoring of volcanic activities around KST should be required for future hazard assessments.

Relationship between water quality of deep-groundwater and geology in non-volcanic areas in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyama, Yoichi; Takahashi, Masaaki; Tsukamoto, Hitoshi; Kazahaya, Kohei; Yasuhara, Masaya; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Morikawa, Noritoshi; Ohwada, Michiko; Shibahara, Akihiko; Inamura, Akihiko

2011-01-01

Geochemical characteristics in groundwater such as groundwater chemistry and physicochemical parameters are affected by their source and the interaction with rocks and minerals. We observed the relationships between groundwater chemistry of the deep-groundwater and the geology in non-volcanic areas in Japan using about 9300 of deep-groundwater data. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to extract data in non-volcanic areas and numbers of water data are about 5200. The data were further classified into four types of geology (sedimentary rock, accretionary complex, volcanic rock and plutonic rock). The pH, temperature and major ion concentrations among deep-groundwaters in each geology have been statistically analysed. Result shows that the total cation concentration of deep-groundwaters are significantly different between geology, and the average values are decreased in the order of the sedimentary rock (66.7 meq l -1 ), volcanic rock (43.0 meq l -1 ), accretionary complex (24.6 meq l -1 ), and plutonic rock (11.0 meq l -1 ). The average pH does not show the major difference between geology whereas the highest average temperature is found in volcanic rock. In addition, the all four major cations (Na, K, Mg, and Ca) show the highest average concentrations in sedimentary rock, within the highest average concentrations of major anions for Cl, SO 4 , and HCO 3 are found in sedimentary rock, volcanic rock and accretionary complex, respectively, indicating the difference of the influence on the anions varied with geology. The distribution of deep-groundwater that are dominated by each major anions implied that SO 4 -type groundwater in volcanic rocks are formed by the influence of Neogene volcanic rock (Green tuff). In addition, HCO 3 -type groundwater in accretionary complex found from Kinki to Shikoku regions are formed by the addition of CO 2 gases supplying not only from surface soil and carbonate minerals but from deep underground. (author)

Origin of metaluminous and alkaline volcanic rocks of the Latir volcanic field, northern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

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Johnson, C.M.; Lipman, P.W.

1988-01-01

Volcanic rocks of the Latir volcanic field evolved in an open system by crystal fractionation, magma mixing, and crustal assimilation. Early high-SiO2 rhyolites (28.5 Ma) fractionated from intermediate compositionmagmas that did not reach the surface. Most precaldera lavas have intermediate-compositions, from olivine basaltic-andesite (53% SiO2) to quartz latite (67% SiO2). The precaldera intermediate-composition lavas have anomalously high Ni and MgO contents and reversely zoned hornblende and augite phenocrysts, indicating mixing between primitive basalts and fractionated magmas. Isotopic data indicate that all of the intermediate-composition rocks studied contain large crustal components, although xenocrysts are found only in one unit. Inception of alkaline magmatism (alkalic dacite to high-SiO2 peralkaline rhyolite) correlates with, initiation of regional extension approximately 26 Ma ago. The Questa caldera formed 26.5 Ma ago upon eruption of the >500 km3 high-SiO2 peralkaline Amalia Tuff. Phenocryst compositions preserved in the cogenetic peralkaline granite suggest that the Amalia Tuff magma initially formed from a trace element-enriched, high-alkali metaluminous magma; isotopic data suggest that the parental magmas contain a large crustal component. Degassing of water- and halogen-rich alkali basalts may have provided sufficient volatile transport of alkalis and other elements into the overlying silicic magma chamber to drive the Amalia Tuff magma to peralkaline compositions. Trace element variations within the Amalia Tuff itself may be explained solely by 75% crystal fractionation of the observed phenocrysts. Crystal settling, however, is inconsistent with mineralogical variations in the tuff, and crystallization is thought to have occurred at a level below that tapped by the eruption. Spatially associated Miocene (15-11 Ma) lavas did not assimilate large amounts of crust or mix with primitive basaltic magmas. Both mixing and crustal assimilation processes

Analysis of volcano rock from Canary islands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, J.; Sedlackova, K.; Dekan, J.

2013-01-01

In this work we have analyzed the basalt rock from Lanzarote, which is the easternmost island of the Canary Islands lying in the Atlantic Ocean and has a volcanic origin. It was born through fiery eruptions and has solidified lava streams as well as extravagant rock formations. We compared our results with composition of basalt rocks from some other places on the Earth. Different iron oxides created on the volcanic rocks during their weathering on the Earth surface has been also analyzed. (authors)

Depleted arc volcanism in the Alboran Sea and shoshonitic volcanism in Morocco: geochemical and isotopic constraints on Neogene tectonic processes

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, R. C. O.; Aparicio, A.; El Azzouzi, M.; Hernandez, J.; Thirlwall, M. F.; Bourgois, J.; Marriner, G. F.

2004-12-01

Samples of volcanic rocks from Alborán Island, the Alboran Sea floor and from the Gourougou volcanic centre in northern Morocco have been analyzed for major and trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes to test current theories on the tectonic geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Sea. The Alborán Island samples are low-K tholeiitic basaltic andesites whose depleted contents of HFS elements (˜0.5×N-MORB), especially Nb (˜0.2×N-MORB), show marked geochemical parallels with volcanics from immature intra-oceanic arcs and back-arc basins. Several of the submarine samples have similar compositions, one showing low-Ca boninite affinity. 143Nd/ 144Nd ratios fall in the same range as many island-arc and back-arc basin samples, whereas 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios (on leached samples) are somewhat more radiogenic. Our data point to active subduction taking place beneath the Alboran region in Miocene times, and imply the presence of an associated back-arc spreading centre. Our sea floor suite includes a few more evolved dacite and rhyolite samples with ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) 0 up to 0.717 that probably represent varying degrees of crustal melting. The shoshonite and high-K basaltic andesite lavas from Gourougou have comparable normalized incompatible-element enrichment diagrams and Ce/Y ratios to shoshonitic volcanics from oceanic island arcs, though they have less pronounced Nb deficits. They are much less LIL- and LREE-enriched than continental arc analogues and post-collisional shoshonites from Tibet. The magmas probably originated by melting in subcontinental lithospheric mantle that had experienced negligible subduction input. Sr-Nd isotope compositions point to significant crustal contamination which appears to account for the small Nb anomalies. The unmistakable supra-subduction zone (SSZ) signature shown by our Alboran basalts and basaltic andesite samples refutes geodynamic models that attribute all Neogene volcanism in the Alboran domain to decompression melting of upwelling asthenosphere

Mineral chemistry of clinopyroxene: guidance on geo- thermobarometry and tectonomagmatic setting of Nabar volcanic rocks, South of Kashan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezvan Mehvari

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction The Nabar area that is a part of the Urumieh- Dokhtar volcano- plutonic belt is located in the south of Kashan. Research works such as Emami (Emami, 1993 and Abbasi (Abbasi, 2012 have been done about the geology of this area. Rock units in the study area contain middle- upper Eocene intermediate to acidic lavas and pyroclastic rocks, green marl, shale and sandy marls of Oligo- Miocene, limestones of Qom formation, intrusive granitoids with Oligo- Miocene age and quaternary travertine and recent alluvium (Emami, 1993. The volcanic and sub volcanic rocks of this area are composed of andesite, trachyandesite, dacite, rhyolite and porphyric pyroxene diorite along with pyroclastic rocks. Materials and methods In order to achieve the aims of this work, at first field surveying and sampling were done. Then, thin and polished thin sections were prepared. Some of the samples were selected for microprobe analysis and clinopyroxene minerals were analyzed by using JEOL- JXA-8800 analyzer with a voltage of 20 Kv and a current of 12 nA in the Kanazava University of Japan and Cameca-Sx100 analyzer with a voltage of 15 Kv and a current of 15 nA in the Iranian mineral processing research center, Karaj. Discussion On the basis of petrographic investigations, porphyritic, porphyroid, fluidal, amygdaloidal and porphyry with microlitic groundmass are common textures of these rocks. Also plagioclase, clinopyroxene, amphibole, biotite, sanidine and quartz are essential minerals, opaque, zircon and apatite as accessory minerals are observed in the studied rocks. Clinopyroxenes are observed with corona texture that resulted during the uralitization process. On the basis of minerals’ chemistry, pyroxenes are Fe- Mg- Ca type in composition (Morimoto et al., 1988. These clinopyroxenes are augite. Investigations indicate that mineral composition of clinopyroxene can be effectively used to evaluation the P-T conditions during crystallization. Previous research

Nuclear-powered submarines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curren, T.

1989-01-01

The proposed acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines by the Canadian Armed Forces raises a number of legitimate concerns, including that of their potential impact on the environment. The use of nuclear reactors as the propulsion units in these submarines merits special consideration. Radioactivity, as an environmental pollutant, has unique qualities and engenders particular fears among the general population. The effects of nuclear submarines on the environment fall into two distinct categories: those deriving from normal operations of the submarine (the chief concern of this paper), and those deriving from a reactor accident. An enormous body of data must exist to support the safe operation of nuclear submarines; however, little information on this aspect of the proposed submarine program has been made available to the Canadian public. (5 refs.)

Petrography and geochemistry of the volcanic rocks of the Rodeio Velho Member, Ordovician of the Camaqua basin (RS-Brazil): preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, Delia del Pilar M. de; Lopes, Ricardo da C.; Gomes, Cristiane H.; Lima, Larissa de.

2000-01-01

A geochemical study based in REE, minor elements and petrographic analyses from the volcanic rocks pertaining to the Rodeio Velho Member, comprising lava flows and epizonal intrusive bodies, both corresponding to andesites, subalkaline and alkaline basalts and trachyandesites; and stratified pyroclastic deposits, showed that fractional crystallization of deep source magma is the fundamental mechanism controlling the relationships among these rocks. This igneous event occurred in an alkaline intraplate environment, associated to a widespread extension tectonics, probably corresponding to a final stage of the Pan African - Brasiliano Orogeny during the Middle Ordovician. (author)

Geothermal surveys in the oceanic volcanic island of Mauritius

Science.gov (United States)

Verdoya, Massimo; Chiozzi, Paolo; Pasqua, Claudio

2017-04-01

Oceanic island chains are generally characterised by young volcanic systems that are predominately composed of basaltic lavas and related magmatic products. Although hot springs are occasionally present, the pervasive, massive, recent outpourings of basaltic lavas are the primary manifestation of the existence of geothermal resources. These islands may have, in principle, significant potential for the exploitation of geothermal energy. In this paper, we present results of recent investigations aimed at the evaluation of geothermal resources of the island of Mauritius, that is the emerging portion of a huge submarine, aseismic, volcanic plateau extending in the SW part of the Indian Ocean. The plateau is related to a long-lived hotspot track, whose present-day expression is the active volcano of La Réunion Island, located about 200 km SW of Mauritius. The island does not show at present any volcanic activity, but magmatism is quite recent as it dates from 7.8 to 0.03 Myr. Geochemical data from water samples collected from boreholes do not indicate the presence of mature water, i.e. circulating in high-temperature geothermal reservoirs, and argue for short-term water-rock interaction in shallow hydrogeological circuits. However, this cannot rule out that a deep magmatic heat source, hydraulically insulated from shallow aquifers, may occur. To evaluate the geothermal gradient, a 270-m-deep hole was thus drilled in the island central portion, in which the most recent volcanic activity (0.03 Myr) took place. Temperature-depth profiles, recorded after complete thermal equilibration, revealed a thermal gradient of 40 mK/m. Attempts of extracting additional thermal information were also made by measuring the temperature in a 170-m-deep deep water hole, no longer used. The results were consistent with the gradient hole, i.e. pointing to a weak or null deep-seated thermal anomaly beneath Mauritius and low geothermal potential. The deep thermal process (mantle plume) invoked

The Valle de Bravo Volcanic Field. A monogenetic field in the central front of the Mexican Volcanic Belt

Science.gov (United States)

Aguirre-Diaz, G. J.; Jaimes-Viera, M. D.; Nieto-Obreg¢n, J.; Lozano-Santacruz, R.

2003-12-01

The Valle de Bravo volcanic field, VBVF, is located in the central-southern front of the Mexican Volcanic Belt just to the southwest of Nevado de Toluca volcano. The VBVF covers 3,703 square Km and includes at least 122 cinder cones, 1 shield volcano, several domes, and the 2 volcanic complexes of Zitacuaro and Villa de Allende. Morphometric parameters calibrated with isotopic ages of the volcanic products indicate four groups or units for the VBVF, Pliocene domes and lava flows, undifferentiated Pleistocene lava flows,> 40 Ka cones and lavas, 40 to 25 Ka cones and lavas, 25 to 10 Ka cones and lavas, and < 10 Ka cones and lavas. Whole-rock chemistry shows that all products of the VBVF range from basaltic andesites to dacites. No basalts were found, in spite of many units are olivine-rich and large some with large weight percent contents of MgO, 1 to 9. There is the possibility that some or all of the olivines in some samples could be xenocrysts. Some andesites are high in Sr, 1000 to 1800 ppm, that correlates with relatively high values of Ba, Cr, Ni, Cu, CaO and MgO. Y and Nb have the typical low values for orogenic rocks. The only shield volcano of the VBVF has a base of 9 Km, and its composition is practically the average composition of the whole field. Stratigraphycally, it is one of the earlier events of the VBVF. Compared with other volcanic fields of the Mexican Volcanic Belt, it lacks basalts and alkalic rocks. All volcanism of this field is calcalkaline

Magnetic properties of frictional volcanic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Kendrick, Jackie E.; Lavallée, Yan; Biggin, Andrew; Ferk, Annika; Leonhardt, Roman

2015-04-01

During dome-building volcanic eruptions, highly viscous magma extends through the upper conduit in a solid-like state. The outer margins of the magma column accommodate the majority of the strain, while the bulk of the magma is able to extrude, largely undeformed, to produce magma spines. Spine extrusion is often characterised by the emission of repetitive seismicity, produced in the upper <1 km by magma failure and slip at the conduit margins. The rheology of the magma controls the depth at which fracture can occur, while the frictional properties of the magma are important in controlling subsequent marginal slip processes. Upon extrusion, spines are coated by a carapace of volcanic fault rocks which provide insights into the deeper conduit processes. Frictional samples from magma spines at Mount St. Helens (USA), Soufriere Hills (Montserrat) and Mount Unzen (Japan) have been examined using structural, thermal and magnetic analyses to reveal a history of comminution, frictional heating, melting and cooling to form volcanic pseudotachylyte. Pseudotachylyte has rarely been noted in volcanic materials, and the recent observation of its syn-eruptive formation in dome-building volcanoes was unprecedented. The uniquely high thermal conditions of volcanic environments means that frictional melt remains at elevated temperatures for longer than usual, causing slow crystallisation, preventing the development of some signature "quench" characteristics. As such, rock-magnetic tests have proven to be some of the most useful tools in distinguishing pseudotachylytes from their andesite/ dacite hosts. In volcanic pseudotachylyte the mass normalised natural remanent magnetisation (NRM) when further normalised with the concentration dependent saturation remanence (Mrs) was found to be higher than the host rock. Remanence carriers are defined as low coercive materials across all samples, and while the remanence of the host rock displays similarities to an anhysteretic remanent

Grinding into Soft, Powdery Rock

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

This hole in a rock dubbed 'Clovis' is the deepest hole drilled so far in any rock on Mars. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this view with its microscopic imager on martian sol 217 (Aug. 12, 2004) after drilling 8.9 millimeters (0.35 inch) into the rock with its rock abrasion tool. The view is a mosaic of four frames taken by the microscopic imager. The hole is 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter. Clovis is key to a developing story about environmental change on Mars, not only because it is among the softest rocks encountered so far in Gusev Crater, but also because it contains mineral alterations that extend relatively deep beneath its surface. In fact, as evidenced by its fairly crumbly texture, it is possibly the most highly altered volcanic rock ever studied on Mars. Scientific analysis shows that the rock contains higher levels of the elements sulfur, chlorine, and bromine than are normally encountered in basaltic rocks, such as a rock dubbed 'Humphrey' that Spirit encountered two months after arriving on Mars. Humphrey showed elevated levels of sulfur, chlorine, and bromine only in the outermost 2 millimeters (less than 0.1 inch) of its surface. Clovis shows elevated levels of the same elements along with the associated softness of the rock within a borehole that is 4 times as deep. Scientists hope to compare Clovis to other, less-altered rocks in the vicinity to assess what sort of water-based processes altered the rock. Hypotheses include transport of sulfur, chlorine, and bromine in water vapor in volcanic gases; hydrothermal circulation (flow of volcanically heated water through rock); or saturation in a briny soup containing the same elements. In this image, very fine-grained material from the rock has clumped together by electrostatic attraction and fallen into the borehole. NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS

Sunken nuclear submarines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksen, V.O.

1990-01-01

The increasing number of accidents with nuclear submarines is a worriment to the general public. Five nuclear submarines are resting on the bottom of the North Atlantic. Design information on nuclear propulsion plants for submarines is classified. The author describes a potential generic nuclear submarine propulsion plant. Design information from the civilian nuclear industry, nuclear power plants, research reactors, nuclear cargo vessels and nuclear propelled icebreakers are used for illustration of relevant problems. A survey is given of nuclear submarines. Factors influencing the accident risks and safety characteristics of nuclear submarines are considered, and potential accident scenarios are described. The fission product content of the nuclear plant can be estimated, '' source terms'' can be guessed and potential release rates can be judged. The mechanisms of dispersion in the oceans is reviewed and compared with the dumping of radioactive waste in the Atlantic and other known releases. 46 refs., 49 figs., 14 tabs

Monitoring the Sumatra volcanic arc with InSAR

Science.gov (United States)

Chaussard, E.; Hong, S.; Amelung, F.

2009-12-01

The Sumatra volcanic arc is the result of the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate under the Sunda plate. The arc consists of 35 known volcanic centers, subaerials on the west coast of the Sumatra and Andaman Islands and submarines between these islands. Six active centers are known in the Sumatra volcanic arc. Surface deformation in volcanic areas usually indicates movement of magma or hydrothermal fluids at depth. Here we present a satellite-based Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) survey of the Sumatra volcanic arc using ALOS data. Spanning the years 2007 to beginning of 2009, our survey reveals the background level of activity of the 35 volcanoes. We processed data from 40 tracks (24 in descending orbit and 16 in ascending orbit) to cover the whole Sumatra arc. In the first results five of these six known active centers show no sign of activity: Dempo, Kaba, Marapi, Talang and Peuet. The remaining active volcano, Mount Kerinci, has an ambiguous signal. We used pair-wise logic and InSAR time series of the available ALOS data to determine if the observed InSAR signal is caused by ground deformation or by atmospheric delays.

Mid–Late Neoproterozoic rift-related volcanic rocks in China: Geological records of rifting and break-up of Rodinia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linqi Xia

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Early Cambrian and Mid–Late Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks in China are widespread on several Precambrian continental blocks, which had aggregated to form part of the Rodinia supercontinent by ca. 900 Ma. On the basis of petrogeochemical data, the basic lavas can be classified into two major magma types: HT (Ti/Y > 500 and LT (Ti/Y  0.85 and HT2 (Nb/La ≤ 0.85, and LT1 (Nb/La > 0.85 and LT2 (Nb/La ≤ 0.85 subtypes, respectively. The geochemical variation of the HT2 and LT2 lavas can be accounted for by lithospheric contamination of asthenosphere- (or plume- derived magmas, whereas the parental magmas of the HT1 and LT1 lavas did not undergo, during their ascent, pronounced lithospheric contamination. These volcanics exhibit at least three characteristics: (1 most have a compositional bimodality; (2 they were formed in an intracontinental rift setting; and (3 they are genetically linked with mantle plumes or a mantle surperplume. This rift-related volcanism at end of the Mid–Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian coincided temporally with the separation between Australia–East Antarctica, South China and Laurentia and between Australia and Tarim, respectively. The Mid–Late Neoproterozoic volcanism in China is the geologic record of the rifting and break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia.

Acceleration to failure in geophysical signals prior to laboratory rock failure and volcanic eruptions (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Main, I. G.; Bell, A. F.; Greenhough, J.; Heap, M. J.; Meredith, P. G.

2010-12-01

The nucleation processes that ultimately lead to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, rock bursts in mines, and landslides from cliff slopes are likely to be controlled at some scale by brittle failure of the Earth’s crust. In laboratory brittle deformation experiments geophysical signals commonly exhibit an accelerating trend prior to dynamic failure. Similar signals have been observed prior to volcanic eruptions, including volcano-tectonic earthquake event and moment release rates. Despite a large amount of effort in the search, no such statistically robust systematic trend is found prior to natural earthquakes. Here we describe the results of a suite of laboratory tests on Mount Etna Basalt and other rocks to examine the nature of the non-linear scaling from laboratory to field conditions, notably using laboratory ‘creep’ tests to reduce the boundary strain rate to conditions more similar to those in the field. Seismic event rate, seismic moment release rate and rate of porosity change show a classic ‘bathtub’ graph that can be derived from a simple damage model based on separate transient and accelerating sub-critical crack growth mechanisms, resulting from separate processes of negative and positive feedback in the population dynamics. The signals exhibit clear precursors based on formal statistical model tests using maximum likelihood techniques with Poisson errors. After correcting for the finite loading time of the signal, the results show a transient creep rate that decays as a classic Omori law for earthquake aftershocks, and remarkably with an exponent near unity, as commonly observed for natural earthquake sequences. The accelerating trend follows an inverse power law when fitted in retrospect, i.e. with prior knowledge of the failure time. In contrast the strain measured on the sample boundary shows a less obvious but still accelerating signal that is often absent altogether in natural strain data prior to volcanic eruptions. To test the

Evaluation of bedrock mainly composed of volcanic aggregate rocks at the Higashidori Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Shuichi; Miwa, Tadashi; Nishidachi, Masayuki

2000-01-01

When carrying out engineering evaluation on foundation bedrock for important constructions such as nuclear power station, dam, and so forth, it is required as a premise on carrying out various surveys, tests, and analyses to select adequate geological elements, to classify them to some groups capable of regarding as a common engineering property, and to rate them. On a hard bedrock, there is a classification method with relatively higher versatility adding condition of crack and weathering to performances at each site as an index, but on a soft one, most of its classification are carried out individually for its site in response to an index caused by the bedrock itself. Here were shown the results carried out some bedrock classifications on a base of grouping for rock sorts and rock phases, according to some concepts on a draft of the standard on the soft bedrock classification due to the nuclear engineering committee of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, a reference draft on the soft bedrock classification of the 'Technical indications on seismic resistance design of the nuclear power station' of the Japan Electric Association, (JEAG4601-1987), and so forth. As a result applied the reference draft on the soft bedrock, and so forth to the bedrock at the Higashidori Nuclear Power Station composed of volcanic aggregate rocks of the Miocene epoch of the new Tertiary system, an adequate engineering evaluation was made possible by making grouping of rock sorts and rock phases to a foundation. And, on property evaluation of the quality changed vein, as a result of various tests, appropriate properties could be obtained. (G.K.)

First data on the age of rocks from the central part of the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge (Brazil Basin, South Atlantic)

Science.gov (United States)

Skolotnev, S. G.; Bylinskaya, M. E.; Golovina, L. A.; Ipat'eva, I. S.

2011-03-01

Micropaleontological and isotope-geochronological investigations of calcareous sedimentary rocks and volcanites dredged out from the central portion of the submarine Vitoria-Trindade Ridge during the 24th cruise of R/V Akademik Vavilov have been conducted. It has been established based on micropaleontological analysis, which included determination of the species composition of foraminifera and nannoplankton, that the sequence of sedimentary rocks having a pelagic nature formed on the slopes of the volcanic seamounts in the central portion of the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge from the Early to Mid-Miocene to the Holocene; a good correlation between the degree of lithification of these rocks and their age is observed. It has also been established that the carbonate platforms on the abraded tops of the Davis Seamount and the Dogaressa Bank, which are located in the east-central portion of the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge, started forming in the Early Miocene (19-24 Ma). It has been determined using local U-Pb dating of zircon grains with a SHRIMP-II high resolution secondary ion mass spectrometer that the volcanites forming the upper portion of the volcanic rock sequence of the Jaseur Seamount (29.8 ± 6.6 Ma) located in the west-central portion of the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge date to the Oligocene. The investigations conducted have confirmed the opinion that the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge formed in general because of the activity of the hot spot located under the volcanic Trindade and Martin Vaz Islands. However, separate extended lenticular segments of this ridge existed for a long time as single structures, within which the age of the seamounts was not linearly dependent on the distance from the location of the hot spot. Lenses of hot mantle matter that form at the sublithospheric level as a result of impulses of plume activity and move along with the lithospheric plate play a defining role in the development of individual segments forming the Vitoria-Trindade Ridge.

Earthquake clustering in the tectonic pattern and volcanism of the Andaman Sea region

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Špičák, Aleš; Vaněk, Jiří

2013-01-01

Roč. 608, November (2013), s. 728-736 ISSN 0040-1951 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME09011 Institutional support: RVO:67985530 Keywords : earthquake swarm * Andaman Sea region * global seismological data * submarine volcanism * magma intrusion Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 2.866, year: 2013

Native gold and gold-rich sulfide deposits in a submarine basaltic caldera, Higashi-Aogashima hydrothermal field, Izu-Ogasawara frontal arc, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Iizasa, Kokichi; Asada, Akira; Mizuno, Katsunori; Katase, Fuyuki; Lee, Sangkyun; Kojima, Mitsuhiro; Ogawa, Nobuhiro

2018-04-01

Sulfide deposits with extremely high Au concentrations (up to 275 ppm; avg. 102 ppm, n = 15), high Au/Ag ratios (0.24, n = 15), and low Cu/(Cu + Zn) ratios (0.03, n = 15) were discovered in 2015 in active hydrothermal fields at a water depth of 760 m in a basalt-dominated submarine caldera in the Izu-Ogasawara frontal arc, Japan. Native gold grains occur in massive sulfide fragments, concretions, and metalliferous sediments from a sulfide mound (40 m across and 20 m high) with up to 30-m-high black smoker chimneys. Tiny native gold grains up to 14 μm in diameter are mainly present in sulfide fallouts from chimney orifices and plumes. Larger native gold grains up to 150 μm long occur mostly as discrete particles and/or with amorphous silica and sulfides. The larger gold grains are interpreted to represent direct precipitation from Au-bearing hydrothermal fluids circulating in and/or beneath the unconsolidated sulfide mound deposits. Sulfur isotope compositions from a limited number of sulfide separates (n = 4) range from 4.3 to 5.8‰ δ34S, similar to the quaternary volcanic rocks of the arc. Barite separates have values of 22.2 and 23.1‰, close to modern seawater values, and indicate probable seawater sulfate origin. The Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations in bulk samples of sulfide-rich rocks are similar to those of volcanogenic massive sulfides formed in continental crustal environments. The gold is interpreted to have formed by low-temperature hydrothermal activity, perhaps genetically different from systems with documented magmatic contributions or from seafloor hydrothermal systems in other island arc settings. Its presence suggests that basalt-dominated submarine calderas situated on relatively thick continental crust in an intraoceanic arc setting such as the Higashi-Aogashima knoll caldera may be perspective for gold mineralization.

A study on the characteristics of site-scale fracture system in granite and volcanic rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyung Su; Kim, Chun Soo; Bae, Dae Seok; Park, Byoung Yoon; Koh, Young Kown [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

2000-03-01

The safety of waste disposal can be achieved by a complete isolation of radioactive wastes from biosphere or by a retardation of nuclide migration to reach an acceptable dose level. For the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, the potential pathways of nuclide primarily depend on the spatial distribution characteristics of conductive fractures. Major key issues in the quantification of fracture system for a disposal site are involved in classification criteria, hydraulic parameters, geometry, field investigation methods etc. This research aims to characterize the spatial distribution characteristics of conductive fractures in granite and volcanic rock mass. 10 refs., 32 figs., 13 tabs. (Author)

Collision-induced post-plateau volcanism: Evidence from a seamount on Ontong Java Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Hanyu, Takeshi; Tejada, Maria Luisa G.; Shimizu, Kenji; Ishizuka, Osamu; Fujii, Toshiyuki; Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Chang, Qing; Senda, Ryoko; Miyazaki, Takashi; Hirahara, Yuka; Vaglarov, Bogdan S.; Goto, Kosuke T.; Ishikawa, Akira

2017-12-01

Many seamounts on the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) occur near the Stewart Arch, a topographic high that extends parallel to the North Solomon Trench along the southern margins of the plateau. Despite the thick sediment cover, several volcanic cones with strong acoustic reflection were discovered on the submarine flank of the Nuugurigia Seamount. From such volcanic cones, basalts were successfully sampled by dredging. Radiometric dating of basalts and ferromanganese encrustation indicate eruption age of 20-25 Ma, significantly younger than the 122 Ma main OJP plateau and post-plateau basalts. The age range coincides with the collision of the OJP with the Solomon Arc. The Nuugurigia basalts geochemically differ from any other rocks sampled on the OJP so far. They are alkali basalts with elevated Sr, low Zr and Hf, and Enriched Mantle-I (EMI)-like isotopic composition. Parental magmas of these alkali basalts may have formed by small-degree melting of peridotitic mantle impregnated with recycled pyroxenite material having enriched geochemical composition in the OJP's mantle root. We conclude that small-volume alkali basalts from the enriched mantle root migrated through faults or fractures caused by the collision along the Stewart Arch to form the seamount. Our results suggest that the collision of the OJP with the Solomon arc played an important role in the origin of similar post-plateau seamounts along the Stewart Arch.

The missing link between submarine volcano and promising geothermal potential in Jinshan, Northern Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, S. C.; Hutchings, L.; Chang, C. C.; Lee, C. S.

2017-12-01

The Tatun volcanic group (TVG) and the Keelung submarine volcano (KSV) are active volcanoes and surrounding three nuclear plant sites in north Taiwan. The famous Jinshan-Wanli hot springs locates between TVG and KSV, moreover, the geochemical anomalies of acidic boiling springs on the seacoast infer that the origin is from magmatic fluids, sea water and meteoric water mixture, strongly implying that mantle fluids ascends into the shallow crust. The evidence for a magma chamber, submarine volcano, and boiling springs have a close spatial relationship. Based on UNECE specifications to Geothermal Energy Resources (2016), the Jinshan-Wanli geothermal area could be classified as Known Geothermal Energy Source for geothermal direct use and Potential Geothermal Energy Source for conventional geothermal system. High resolution reservoir exploration and modeling in Jinshan-Wanli geothermal area is developing for drilling risk mitigation. The geothermal team of National Taiwan Ocean University and local experts are cooperating for further exploration drilling and geothermal source evaluation. Keywords: geothermal resource evaluation, Jinshan-Wanli geothermal area, submarine volcano

Uranium mineralization in fluorine-enriched volcanic rocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burt, D.M.; Sheridan, M.F.; Bikun, J.; Christiansen, E.; Correa, B.; Murphy, B.; Self, S.

1980-09-01

Several uranium and other lithophile element deposits are located within or adjacent to small middle to late Cenozoic, fluorine-rich rhyolitic dome complexes. Examples studied include Spor Mountain, Utah (Be-U-F), the Honeycomb Hills, Utah (Be-U), the Wah Wah Mountains, Utah (U-F), and the Black Range-Sierra Cuchillo, New Mexico (Sn-Be-W-F). The formation of these and similar deposits begins with the emplacement of a rhyolitic magma, enriched in lithophile metals and complexing fluorine, that rises to a shallow crustal level, where its roof zone may become further enriched in volatiles and the ore elements. During initial explosive volcanic activity, aprons of lithicrich tuffs are erupted around the vents. These early pyroclastic deposits commonly host the mineralization, due to their initial enrichment in the lithophile elements, their permeability, and the reactivity of their foreign lithic inclusions (particularly carbonate rocks). The pyroclastics are capped and preserved by thick topaz rhyolite domes and flows that can serve as a source of heat and of additional quantities of ore elements. Devitrification, vapor-phase crystallization, or fumarolic alteration may free the ore elements from the glassy matrix and place them in a form readily leached by percolating meteoric waters. Heat from the rhyolitic sheets drives such waters through the system, generally into and up the vents and out through the early tuffs. Secondary alteration zones (K-feldspar, sericite, silica, clays, fluorite, carbonate, and zeolites) and economic mineral concentrations may form in response to this low temperature (less than 200 C) circulation. After cooling, meteoric water continues to migrate through the system, modifying the distribution and concentration of the ore elements (especially uranium).

Uranium mineralization in fluorine-enriched volcanic rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burt, D.M.; Sheridan, M.F.; Bikun, J.; Christiansen, E.; Correa, B.; Murphy, B.; Self, S.

1980-09-01

Several uranium and other lithophile element deposits are located within or adjacent to small middle to late Cenozoic, fluorine-rich rhyolitic dome complexes. Examples studied include Spor Mountain, Utah (Be-U-F), the Honeycomb Hills, Utah (Be-U), the Wah Wah Mountains, Utah (U-F), and the Black Range-Sierra Cuchillo, New Mexico (Sn-Be-W-F). The formation of these and similar deposits begins with the emplacement of a rhyolitic magma, enriched in lithophile metals and complexing fluorine, that rises to a shallow crustal level, where its roof zone may become further enriched in volatiles and the ore elements. During initial explosive volcanic activity, aprons of lithicrich tuffs are erupted around the vents. These early pyroclastic deposits commonly host the mineralization, due to their initial enrichment in the lithophile elements, their permeability, and the reactivity of their foreign lithic inclusions (particularly carbonate rocks). The pyroclastics are capped and preserved by thick topaz rhyolite domes and flows that can serve as a source of heat and of additional quantities of ore elements. Devitrification, vapor-phase crystallization, or fumarolic alteration may free the ore elements from the glassy matrix and place them in a form readily leached by percolating meteoric waters. Heat from the rhyolitic sheets drives such waters through the system, generally into and up the vents and out through the early tuffs. Secondary alteration zones (K-feldspar, sericite, silica, clays, fluorite, carbonate, and zeolites) and economic mineral concentrations may form in response to this low temperature (less than 200 C) circulation. After cooling, meteoric water continues to migrate through the system, modifying the distribution and concentration of the ore elements

Diffuse Helium Emission as a Precursory Sign of Volcanic Unrest

Science.gov (United States)

Padron, E.; Perez, N.; Hernandez Perez, P. A.; Sumino, H.; Melian Rodriguez, G.; Barrancos, J.; Nolasco, D.; Padilla, G.; Dionis, S.; Rodriguez, F.; Hernandez, I.; Calvo, D.; Peraza, M.; Nagao, K.

2012-12-01

Since July 16, 2011, an anomalous seismicity at El Hierro island, the youngest and smallest of the Canary Islands, was recorded by IGN seismic network. After the occurrence of more than 10,000 seismic events, volcanic tremor was recorded since 05:15 of the October 10, by all of the seismic stations on the island, with highest amplitudes recorded in the southernmost station. During the afternoon of October 12 a large light-green coloured area was observed in the sea to the souht of La Restinga village (at the southernmost part of El Hierro island), suggesting the existence of a submarine eruption. Since October 12, frequent episodes of, turbulent gas emission and foaming, and the appearance of steamy lava fragments has been observed on the sea surface. As part of the volcanic surveillance of the island, the Instituto Volcanologico de Canarias (INVOLCAN) geochemical monitoring program is carrying out diffuse helium surveys on the surface environment of El Hierro (soil atmosphere). This nobel gas has been investigated because it has been considered an almost ideal geochemical indicator because it is chemically inert, physically stable, nonbiogenic, sparingly soluble in water under ambient conditions and almost non-adsorbable. At each survey, 600 sampling sites covering the whole island and following an homogeneous distribution are selected for helium measurements in the soil gases, The helium concentration gradients with respect to its value on air (5.24 ppm) allow us to estimate a pure diffusive emission rate of helium throughout the island. The first survey was carried out on the summer of 2003, when the island was on a quiescence period. At this survey, the amount of helium released by the volcanic system of El Hierro was estimated in 6 kg/d. Since the beginning of the seismic unrest, 13 helium emission surveys have been carried out. The helium emission rate has shown an excellent agreement with the evolution of the volcanic crisis of the island, reaching 30 kg

Research on evolutionary laws of Sr, Nd, Pb isotopes of uranium metallization and volcanic rocks in south china

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ying Junlong

1998-01-01

According to research on evolutionary tracer of Sr, Nd, Pb isotopes, the author proposes that isotopic evolution of Mesozoic volcanics in south China is controlled by regionally metamorphic rocks of ancient land basement, early reformed derivates and recycled continental crust. Isotopic composition of uranium metallization shows the characteristics of crust sources, and Yanshanian accretion of continental margin caused the crust movement such as magmatic activity in lower crust within continent, extension-down-faulting, etc., promoting the migration, enrichment and ore formation of uranium

Geochronology of the Swift Current granite and host volcanic rocks of the Love Cove group, southwestern Avalon zone, Newfoundland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dallmeyer, R.D.; O'Driscoll, C.F.; Hussey, E.M.

1981-01-01

Zircon fractions from the variably deformed and metamorphosed Swift Current granite and host volcanic rocks of the Love Cove Group record individually discordant U-Pb ages with well-defined upper concordia intercept ages of 580 +- 20 and 590 +- 30 Ma, respectively. These are interpreted to be crystallization dates and indicate a late Proterozoic cogmagmatic relationship. Primary hornblende from the pluton record disturbed 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra that suggest postcrystallization argon loss, probably during Acadian (Devonian) regional metamorphism. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages of 560-566 Ma are well defined for the hornblende and are interpreted to date times of postmagmatic cooling. The similarity between zircon and hornblende dates suggests relatively rapid postmagmatic cooling. A six-point, Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron age of 548 +- 11 Ma is defined for the pluton. The slight discordancy of this date in comparison with the zircon and hornblende ages may reflect a minor disturbance of whole-rock isotopic systems during Acadian regional metamorphism. (author)

The Ignimbritic tertiary volcanism of the Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Argentina): its characteristics and uraniferous potentiality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leroy, J.L.; George-Aniel, B.

1988-01-01

The petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the volcanism and the primary U distribution at the magmatic stage: alkali-rich volcanic rocks (Peru) appear to be fertile source-rocks, whereas sub alkaline and calc-alkaline rocks (Bolivia and Argentina) are less favorable. Uranium can only be leached from the matrix, due to the stability of the accessory minerals during all the following events. The fertility of a volcanic rock is thus directly controlled by the volume proportion of the matrix and the U fractionation between glass and accessory minerals. The preconcentration and concentration stages: the existence of mineralizations in relation with a fertile rock will depend on other events which must occur successively at the same place: the cooling type and rate of the volcanic pile (pre-concentration stage), the intensity and the duration of the hydrothermal circulations, the presence of reducing agents and trapps. (author)

A Sr-isotopic comparison between thermal waters, rocks, and hydrothermal calcites, Long Valley caldera, California

Science.gov (United States)

Goff, F.; Wollenberg, H.A.; Brookins, D.C.; Kistler, R.W.

1991-01-01

The 87Sr/86Sr values of thermal waters and hydrothermal calcites of the Long Valley caldera geothermal system are more radiogenic than those of young intracaldera volcanic rocks. Five thermal waters display 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7081-0.7078 but show systematically lighter values from west to east in the direction of lateral flow. We believe the decrease in ratio from west to east signifies increased interaction of deeply circulating thermal water with relatively fresh volcanic rocks filling the caldera depression. All types of pre-, syn-, and post-caldera volcanic rocks in the west and central caldera have (87Sr/86Sr)m between about 0.7060 and 0.7072 and values for Sierra Nevada granodiorites adjacent to the caldera are similar. Sierran pre-intrusive metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks can have considerably higher Sr-isotope ratios (0.7061-0.7246 and 0.7090-0.7250, respectively). Hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks inside the caldera have (87Sr/86Sr)m slightly heavier than their fresh volcanic equivalents and hydrothermal calcites (0.7068-0.7105) occupy a midrange of values between the volcanic/plutonic rocks and the Sierran metamorphic rocks. These data indicate that the Long Valley geothermal reservoir is first equilibrated in a basement complex that contains at least some metasedimentary rocks. Reequilibration of Sr-isotope ratios to lower values occurs in thermal waters as convecting geothermal fluids flow through the isotopically lighter volcanic rocks of the caldera fill. ?? 1991.

A real two-phase submarine debris flow and tsunami

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pudasaini, Shiva P.; Miller, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The general two-phase debris flow model proposed by Pudasaini is employed to study subaerial and submarine debris flows, and the tsunami generated by the debris impact at lakes and oceans. The model, which includes three fundamentally new and dominant physical aspects such as enhanced viscous stress, virtual mass, and generalized drag (in addition to buoyancy), constitutes the most generalized two-phase flow model to date. The advantage of this two-phase debris flow model over classical single-phase, or quasi-two-phase models, is that the initial mass can be divided into several parts by appropriately considering the solid volume fraction. These parts include a dry (landslide or rock slide), a fluid (water or muddy water; e.g., dams, rivers), and a general debris mixture material as needed in real flow simulations. This innovative formulation provides an opportunity, within a single framework, to simultaneously simulate the sliding debris (or landslide), the water lake or ocean, the debris impact at the lake or ocean, the tsunami generation and propagation, the mixing and separation between the solid and fluid phases, and the sediment transport and deposition process in the bathymetric surface. Applications of this model include (a) sediment transport on hill slopes, river streams, hydraulic channels (e.g., hydropower dams and plants); lakes, fjords, coastal lines, and aquatic ecology; and (b) submarine debris impact and the rupture of fiber optic, submarine cables and pipelines along the ocean floor, and damage to offshore drilling platforms. Numerical simulations reveal that the dynamics of debris impact induced tsunamis in mountain lakes or oceans are fundamentally different than the tsunami generated by pure rock avalanches and landslides. The analysis includes the generation, amplification and propagation of super tsunami waves and run-ups along coastlines, debris slide and deposition at the bottom floor, and debris shock waves. It is observed that the

A real two-phase submarine debris flow and tsunami

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pudasaini, Shiva P.; Miller, Stephen A. [Department of Geodynamics and Geophysics, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn Nussallee 8, D-53115, Bonn (Germany)

2012-09-26

The general two-phase debris flow model proposed by Pudasaini is employed to study subaerial and submarine debris flows, and the tsunami generated by the debris impact at lakes and oceans. The model, which includes three fundamentally new and dominant physical aspects such as enhanced viscous stress, virtual mass, and generalized drag (in addition to buoyancy), constitutes the most generalized two-phase flow model to date. The advantage of this two-phase debris flow model over classical single-phase, or quasi-two-phase models, is that the initial mass can be divided into several parts by appropriately considering the solid volume fraction. These parts include a dry (landslide or rock slide), a fluid (water or muddy water; e.g., dams, rivers), and a general debris mixture material as needed in real flow simulations. This innovative formulation provides an opportunity, within a single framework, to simultaneously simulate the sliding debris (or landslide), the water lake or ocean, the debris impact at the lake or ocean, the tsunami generation and propagation, the mixing and separation between the solid and fluid phases, and the sediment transport and deposition process in the bathymetric surface. Applications of this model include (a) sediment transport on hill slopes, river streams, hydraulic channels (e.g., hydropower dams and plants); lakes, fjords, coastal lines, and aquatic ecology; and (b) submarine debris impact and the rupture of fiber optic, submarine cables and pipelines along the ocean floor, and damage to offshore drilling platforms. Numerical simulations reveal that the dynamics of debris impact induced tsunamis in mountain lakes or oceans are fundamentally different than the tsunami generated by pure rock avalanches and landslides. The analysis includes the generation, amplification and propagation of super tsunami waves and run-ups along coastlines, debris slide and deposition at the bottom floor, and debris shock waves. It is observed that the

Relationship between natural radioactivity and rock type in the Van lake basin - Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolluoglu, A. U.; Eral, M.; Aytas, S.

2004-01-01

The Van Lake basin located at eastern part of Turkey. The Van lake basin essentially comprises two province, these are namely Van and Bitlis. The former geochemistry research indicated that the uranium concentrations of Van lake water and deep sediments are 78-116 ppb and 0.1-0.5 ppm respectively. Uranium was transported to Van Lake by rivers and streams, flow through to outcrops of Paleozoic Bitlis Massive, and young Pleistocene alkaline/calkalkaline volcanic rocks. This study focused on the revealing natural radioactivity and secondary dispersion of radioactivity related to rock types surface environments in the Van Lake Basin. The Van Lake Basin essentially subdivided into three different parts; the Eastern parts characterized by Mesozoic basic and ultra basic rocks, southern parts dominated by metamorphic rocks of Bitlis Massive, Western and Northwestern parts covered by volcanic rocks of Pleistocene. Volcanic rocks can be subdivided into two different types. The first type is mafic rocks mainly composed of basalts. The second type is felsic rocks represented by rhyolites, dacites and pumice tuff. Surface gamma measurements (cps) and dose rate measurements (μR/h) show different values according to rock type. Surface gamma measurement and surface dose rate values in the basaltic rocks are slightly higher than the average values (130 cps, 11 μR/h). In the felsic volcanic rocks such as rhyolites and dacites surface gamma measurement values and surface dose rate values, occasionally exceed the background. Highest values were obtained in the pumice tuffs. Rhyolitic eruptions related to Quaternary volcanic activity formed thick pumice (natural glassy froth related to felsic volcanic rocks and exhibit spongy texture) sequences Northern and Western part of Van Lake basin. The dose rate of pumice rocks was measured mean 15 μR/h. The highest value for surface gamma measurements was recorded as 200 cps. The pumice has very big water capacity, due to porous texture of

Geomechanical rock properties of a basaltic volcano

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren N Schaefer

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In volcanic regions, reliable estimates of mechanical properties for specific volcanic events such as cyclic inflation-deflation cycles by magmatic intrusions, thermal stressing, and high temperatures are crucial for building accurate models of volcanic phenomena. This study focuses on the challenge of characterizing volcanic materials for the numerical analyses of such events. To do this, we evaluated the physical (porosity, permeability and mechanical (strength properties of basaltic rocks at Pacaya Volcano (Guatemala through a variety of laboratory experiments, including: room temperature, high temperature (935 °C, and cyclically-loaded uniaxial compressive strength tests on as-collected and thermally-treated rock samples. Knowledge of the material response to such varied stressing conditions is necessary to analyze potential hazards at Pacaya, whose persistent activity has led to 13 evacuations of towns near the volcano since 1987. The rocks show a non-linear relationship between permeability and porosity, which relates to the importance of the crack network connecting the vesicles in these rocks. Here we show that strength not only decreases with porosity and permeability, but also with prolonged stressing (i.e., at lower strain rates and upon cooling. Complimentary tests in which cyclic episodes of thermal or load stressing showed no systematic weakening of the material on the scale of our experiments. Most importantly, we show the extremely heterogeneous nature of volcanic edifices that arise from differences in porosity and permeability of the local lithologies, the limited lateral extent of lava flows, and the scars of previous collapse events. Input of these process-specific rock behaviors into slope stability and deformation models can change the resultant hazard analysis. We anticipate that an increased parameterization of rock properties will improve mitigation power.

Mineral chemistry, thermobarometry and tectonomagmatic setting of Late-Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Kojid area (south of Lahijan, northern Alborz

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morteza delavari

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The volcanic rocks of Kojid area (south of Lahijan crop out in northern Alborz. They show mainly pillow structure with numerous cross-cutting dykes. Based on lithostratigraphic relationships and interpillow pelagic limestones, the volcanics are Late Cretaceous in age. The volcanics of Kojid area are predominantly basic in composition (olivine basalt and basalt and minor more evolved suites such as trachyandesite and dacite. Olivine phenocrysts display forsterite (Fo content of 63 to 83%. The phenocrystic and interstitial clinopyroxene crystals are augite to diopside in composition, with Na2O, Al2O3 and TiO2 contents of 0.24- 0.68, 2.3-6.53 and 1-5.1 wt.%, respectively. Furthermore, plagioclase is labradorite (An%= 51-68. The results of various geothermobarometric methods of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and olivine indicate good correlation with each other. Different thermometric calculations yielded temperatures in the range of 1100 to 1250 °C which are compatible with temperatures of basic melts. Moreover, clinopyroxene and plagioclase barometry of the phenocrysts (4 to 8 Kb and interstitial phases (

Massive Rock Detachments from the Continental slope of the Balsas River Submarine Delta that occur due to Instability of Sediments which Produce Turbidity Currents and Tsunamis

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Ochoa, J.; Aguayo-Camargo, J.

2007-05-01

During the NOAA oceanographic delivery cruise of the US R/V "Roger Revelle" to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California in San Diego, California USA, in July 1996; a well calibrated bathymetric equipment, the SeaBeam* 2012, was tested. Good resolutions in data allowed bathymetric mapping to visualize the sea floor relief. Detailed colorful chartographic images showed a portion of the continental slope between the Balsas River Delta and the Middle America Trench and between the Balsas Canyon and La Necesidad Canyon. The surveyed area covered more than 3 000 square kilometers. After the delivery cruise, one of the goals was to measure and analyze the Morphobathymetry of the uneven lower portion of the Balsas River Submarine Delta. So far some of the findings with the morphometric analyses consist of several isolated slump scars that each comprise more than 12 cubic kilometers in volume and a multiple slump scar with an evident steep hollow about 200 cubic kilometers absent of rock. These volumes of rock apparently underwent a remobilization from the slope during the Late Quaternary. The rock detachments occured in relatively small portions but in instantaneous massive displacements because of their instability as well as other identified factors in the region. Over time more and more authors have accepted that coastal cuts or submarine slump scars have been left by sudden movements of rock and fluids. The phenomena that occur in the region in general, are accompanied on one side by potential and kinetic energies like falling bodies, flows and gravity waves, and on the other side, by mass transfer of rock and fluid mobilization like turbidity currents, accumulations, sea wave surges or tsunamis. In some cases the phenomena is produced by another natural triggering forces or by an earthquake. We propose that events like these, i.e. massive detachments and their products such as accumulations, turbidity currents and depositional debrites

Elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic geochemistry of Cretaceous to Early Paleogene granites and volcanic rocks in the Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt (Russian Far East): implications for the regional tectonic evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Pan; Jahn, Bor-ming; Xu, Bei

2017-09-01

The Sikhote-Alin Orogenic Belt in Russian Far East is an important Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic accretionary orogen related to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate. This belt was generated by successive accretion of terranes made of accretionary prisms, turbidite basins and island arcs to the continental margin of northeastern Asia (represented by the Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block) from Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. In order to study the tectonic and crustal evolution of this orogenic belt, we carried out zircon U-Pb dating, and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic analyses on granites and volcanic rocks from the Primorye region of southern Sikhote-Alin. Zircon dating revealed three episodes of granitoid emplacement: Permian, Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene. Felsic volcanic rocks (mainly rhyolite, dacite and ignimbrite) that overlay all tectonostratigraphic terranes were erupted during 80-57 Ma, postdating the accretionary process in the Sikhote-Alin belt. The Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatism represents the most intense tectonothermal event in the Sikhote-Alin belt. Whole-rock major and trace elemental data show arc-like affinity for granitoids and volcanic rocks, indicating that they were likely generated in a supra-subduction setting. Their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7048 to 0.7114, and εNd(t) values vary from +1.7 to -3.8 (mostly < 0). Thus, the elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic data suggest that the felsic magmas were generated by partial melting of source rocks comprising mantle-derived juvenile component and recycled crustal component. In addition to the occurrence in the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt, Cretaceous to Early Paleogene magmatic rocks are also widespread in NE China, southern Korean peninsula, Japanese islands and other areas of Russian Far East, particularly along the coastal regions of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. These rocks constitute an extended magmatic belt along the continental margin of NE Asia. The

Petrochemical Results for Volcanic Rocks recovered from SHINKAI 6500 diving on the Bonin Ridge (27°15'N-28°25'N): submarine extension of Ogasawara forearc volcanism

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomer, S. H.; Kimura, J.; Stern, R. J.; Ohara, Y.; Ishii, T.; Ishizuka, O.; Haraguchi, S.; Machida, S.; Reagan, M.; Kelley, K.; Hargrove, U.; Wortel, M.; Li, Y. B.

2004-12-01

Four SHINKAI 6500 submersible dives (dive #823 to #826) were performed along the Bonin Ridge escarpment west of Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands in the West Pacific during May 2004, in the hopes of finding exposures of lower crust of the IBM forearc. The Ogasawara Islands are located on the Bonin ridge, exposing 48-40 Ma boninites on Chichi-jima and depleted arc tholeiite lavas of the same age on Haha-jima. These extremely depleted lavas are believed to have been generated when subduction began beneath the Izu-Bonin-Mariana oceanic arc system. Subsequent rifting (35-30 Ma) formed the Bonin Trough and a 350 km long N-S trending eastern escarpment (Bonin Ridge), where we concentrated our dives. We observed lavas and volcaniclastic sequences by the four SHINKAI dives along the escarpment, and 16 fresh basaltic to andesitic lava samples have been recovered. The first three dives appear to have sampled volcanic constructs, of presumed Oligocene age, along the escarpment, whereas the last dive sampled exposures similar to Eocene rocks of the Bonin islands, including nummulitic limestone. The lava samples were analyzed by ICP-MS at Shimane University for 30 incompatible trace elements. All samples show arc-like chemical signatures, including elevated concentrations of LIL elements, depletions in Ta and Nb, and spikes in Pb, Sr, and Li. All samples show modest enrichments in LREE. A lava sample from the northernmost dive #824 is identical with the depleted tholeiite from Haha-jima Islands at the southernmost end of the Bonin Ridge in terms of trace element characteristics. Other lava samples from northern three dives (#823, #824, #825) have tholeiitic affinities with more elevated highly incompatible elements. This suggests derivation of the series of lavas by different degree of partial melting of a similar source mantle. Samples from southernmost dive site #826, immediately northwest of Chichi-jima Islands, are boninites with U-shaped REE patterns and relatively enriched Zr and

Attempts of whole-rock K/Ar dating of mesozoic volcanic and hypabissal igneous rocks from the Central Subbetic (Southern Spain: A case of differential Argon loss related to very low-grade metamorphism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanz de Galdeano, C.

1988-04-01

Full Text Available 12 samples of basic intrusives within Triassic rocks «ophites» and 11 samples of volcanic and associated intrusives within Jurassic to Early Cretaceous sequences of the Subbetic Zone were subjected to whole-rock K/Ar dating in combination with chemical/petrological analysis. Satisfactory results were obtained only from a number of samples of volcanic rocks, however, analytical ages commonly agree, within about 10 relative percent, with those deduced from stratigraphic location. «Ophite» samples, on the other hand, may reveal considerably lower analytic ages than the volcanics and show much stronger scattering, even among samples collected within a small area. It is argued that the inferred loss of Ar results from very-low-grade alpine metamorphic alteration, which affected the «ophites» more intensely than the higher volcanic rocks. Other post-emplacement chemical changes, such as the degree of secondary oxidation of Fe, are also distintive among the two groups of samples, and are to some extent consistent with the above view in that the alteration environment of the ophites should have produced conditions for more penetrative fluid-rock interactions and homogeneous recrystallization. Overall, the magmatic activity from which the ophitic rocks originated might have started in the Late Triassic and continued in the Lower Jurassic. 80th, the «ophites» and the volcanics are though to be the result of magmatic events Collowing tensional to transtensive crustal movements affecting the external basins of the Betic Cordilleras Crom Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous times.Doce muestras de cuerpos básicos intrusivos en rocas triásicas («ofitas» y 11 muestras de volcanitas y rocas intrusivas asociadas en secuencias jurásico-cretáceas de la zona Subbética han sido objeto de datación radiométrica K/Ar (roca total en combinación con análisis químico-petrográfico. Las edades analíticas obtenidas son 's

Descartes region - Evidence for Copernican-age volcanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Head, J. W., III; Goetz, A. F. H.

1972-01-01

A model that suggests that the high-albedo central region of the Descartes Formation was formed by Copernican-age volcanism was developed from Orbiter photography, Apollo 12 multispectral photography, earth-based spectrophotometry, and thermal IR and radar data. The bright surface either is abundant in centimeter-sized rocks or is formed from an insulating debris layer overlying a surface with an abundance of rocks in the 1- to 20-cm size range. On the basis of these data, the bright unit is thought to be a young pyroclastic deposit mantling older volcanic units of the Descartes Formation. Since the Apollo 16 target point is only 50 km NW of the central part of this unit, evidence for material associated with this unique highland formation should be searched for in returned soil and rock samples.

Self-potential anomalies preceding tectonic and volcanic crises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patella, D.

1993-01-01

In this paper I consider a possible physical mechanism capable of explaining self-potential anomalies, which are currently observed on the ground surface prior to tectonic and volcanic activities. A rock cracking-fluid diffusion-charge polarization model is described. The electrical charge polarization is assumed to be the electrokinetic effect due to invasion of fluid into new fissures, which open inside a stressed rock material because of dilatancy, in the case of tectonic activity, and of the rising of a magma intrusion in the case of volcanic activity. (author). 10 refs, 2 figs

Submarine Medicine Team

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Submarine Medicine Team conducts basic and applied research on biomedical aspects of submarine and diving environments. It focuses on ways to optimize the health...

The relational of Mesozoic volcanism to uranium mineralization in Guyuan-Hongshanzi area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Rengui; Xu Zhe; Yu Zhenqing; Jiang Shan; Shen Kefeng

2011-01-01

Based on the time of Mesozoic volcanism,the characteristic of major and trace element, and REE pattern of the volcanic rocks in Guyuan-Hongshanzi area, The Mesozoic volcanism can be divided into the early cycle and later cycle during the Early Cretaceous, and it's magma series is classified in two sub-series, one is alkaline series of trachyte dominated and another is subalkaline series of rhyolite dominated. The relations between Mesozoic volcanism and uranium mineralization is mainly shown in four aspects: (1) Uranium mineralization controlled by the coexist of two magma series; (2) Uranium mineralization controlled by superhypabyssal porphyry body in later cycle volcanism during the Early Cretaceous; (3) The porphyry body close to uranium mineralization,bearing the genesis characteristics of crust-mantle action; and (4) High Si and K content in the chemical composition of the mineralization volcanic rocks. (authors)

Paleoproterozoic andesitic volcanism in the southern Amazonian craton (northern Brazil); lithofacies analysis and geodynamic setting

Science.gov (United States)

Roverato, Matteo; Juliani, Caetano; Capra, Lucia; Dias Fernandes, Carlos Marcelo

2016-04-01

Precambrian volcanism played an important role in geological evolution and formation of new crust. Most of the literature on Precambrian volcanic rocks describes settings belonging to subaqueous volcanic systems. This is likely because subaerial volcanic rocks in Proterozoic and Archean volcano-sedimentary succession are poorly preserved due to erosive/weathering processes. The late Paleoproterozoic Sobreiro Formation (SF) here described, seems to be one of the rare exceptions to the rule and deserves particular attention. SF represents the subaerial expression of an andesitic magmatism that, linked with the upper felsic Santa Rosa F., composes the Uatumã Group. Uatumã Group is an extensive magmatic event located in the Xingú region, southwestern of Pará state, Amazonian Craton (northern Brazil). The Sobreiro volcanism is thought to be related to an ocean-continent convergent margin. It is characterized by ~1880 Ma well-preserved calc-alkaline basaltic/andesitic to andesitic lava flows, pyroclastic rocks and associated reworked successions. The superb preservation of its rock-textures allowed us to describe in detail a large variety of volcaniclastic deposits. We divided them into primary and secondary, depending if they result from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or reworked processes. Our study reinforces the importance of ancient volcanic arcs and rocks contribution to the terrestrial volcaniclastic sedimentation and evolution of plate tectonics. The volcanic activity that produced pyroclastic rocks influenced the amount of detritus shed into sedimentary basins and played a major role in the control of sedimentary dispersal patterns. This study aims to provide, for the first time, an analysis of the physical volcanic processes for the subaerial SF, based in field observation, lithofacies analysis, thin section petrography and less geochemical data. The modern volcanological approach here used can serve as a model about the evolution of Precambrian

Neogene volcanism in Gutai Mts. (Eastern Carpathains: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinel Kovacs

2003-04-01

Full Text Available Two types of volcanism developed in Gutâi Mts. (inner volcanic chain of Eastern Carpathians: a felsic, extensional/“back-arc” type and an intermediate, arc type. The felsic volcanism of explosive origin, consisting of caldera-related rhyolitic ignimbrites and resedimented volcaniclastics, had taken place during Early-Middle Badenian and Early Sarmatian. The intermediate volcanism, consisting of extrusive (effusive and explosive and intrusive activity, had developed during Sarmatian and Pannonian (13.4-7.0 Ma. It is represented by typical calc-alkaline series, from basalts to rhyolites. Lava flows of basaltic andesites and andesites are predominant, often emplaced in subaqueous environment. Extrusive domes, mainly composed of dacites, are associated to the andesitic volcanic structures. The intermediate volcanism, consisting of extrusive (effusive and explosive and intrusive activity, had developed during Sarmatian and Pannonian (13.4-7.0 Ma. It is represented by typical calc-alkaline series, from basalts to rhyolites. Lava flows of basaltic andesites and andesites are predominant, often emplaced in subaqueous environment. Extrusive domes, mainly composed of dacites, are associated to the andesitic volcanic structures. The geochemical study on the volcanic rocks shows the calc-alkaline character of both felsic and intermediate volcanism and typical subduction zones geochemical signatures for the intermediate one. The felsic volcanism shows affinities with subduction-related rocks as well. The main petrogenetic process in Gutâi Mts. was crustal assimilation, strongly constrained by trace element and isotope geochemistry.

The Origin of Widespread Long-lived Volcanism Across the Galapagos Volcanic Province

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, J. M.; Stoffers, P.; Wijbrans, J. R.; Worthington, T. J.

2005-12-01

40Ar/39Ar ages for rocks dredged (SO144 PAGANINI expedition) and drilled (DSDP) from the Galapagos Volcanic Province (Cocos, Carnegie, Coiba and Malpelo aseismic ridges and associated seamounts) show evidence of 1) increasing age with distance from the Galapagos Archipelago, 2) long-lived episodic volcanism at many locations, and 3) broad overlapping regions of coeval volcanism. The widespread nature of synchronous volcanism across the Galapagos Volcanic Province (GVP) suggests a correspondingly large Galapagos hotspot melting anomaly (O'Connor et al., 2004). Development of the GVP via Cocos and Nazca plate migration and divergence over this broad melting anomaly would explain continued multiple phases of volcanism over millions of years following the initial onset of hotspot volcanism. The question arising from these observations is whether long-lived GVP episodic volcanism is equivalent to `rejuvenescent' or a `post-erosional' phase of volcanism that occurs hundreds of thousands or million years after the main shield-building phase documented on many mid-plate seamount chains, most notably along the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain? Thus, investigating the process responsible for long-lived episodic GVP volcanism provides the opportunity to evaluate this little understood process of rejuvenation in a physical setting very different to the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain (i.e. on/near spreading axis versus mid-plate). We consider here timing and geochemical information to test the various geodynamic models proposed to explain the origin of GVP hotspot volcanism, especially the possibility of rejuvenated phases that erupt long after initial shield-building.

Crystallisation condition of the Quaternary basanites of volcanic centre Black Rock, monogenetic field Lunar Crater

Science.gov (United States)

Turova, Mariia; Plechov, Pavel; Scherbakov, Vasily; Larin, Nikolay

2017-04-01

The Lunar Crater volcanic field is located in a tension zone Basin and Range Province (USA). This tension is connected with dives oceanic plate under the continental plate [1]. Lunar Crater consists of flows basalt, basanite, trachybasalt has a different age [2]. In this work we investigate the youngest rock - basanite. The basanite is highly crystalline consisting of about megacrysts (3-10 cm) 30-60 wt% phenocrysts ( 800-1500 µm) and microphenocrysts (100-800 µm) and 40-60% microlites (Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. - 1981. - T. 300. - №. 1454. - C. 407-434. 2. Wood, X., and Keinle, Y., 1990, Volcanoes of North America: Cambridge,United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 354 p. 3. Nimis P. Clinopyroxene geobarometry of magmatic rocks. Part 2. Structural geobarometers for basic to acid, tholeiitic and mildly alkaline magmatic systems //Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. - 1999. - T. 135. - №. 1. - C. 62-74. 4. Ballhaus C., Berry R. F., Green D. H. High pressure experimental calibration of the olivine-orthopyroxene-spinel oxygen geobarometer: implications for the oxidation state of the upper mantle //Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. - 1991. - T. 107. - №. 1. - C. 27-40.

Estimating the Wet-Rock P-Wave Velocity from the Dry-Rock P-Wave Velocity for Pyroclastic Rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Kahraman, Sair; Fener, Mustafa; Kilic, Cumhur Ozcan

2017-07-01

Seismic methods are widely used for the geotechnical investigations in volcanic areas or for the determination of the engineering properties of pyroclastic rocks in laboratory. Therefore, developing a relation between the wet- and dry-rock P-wave velocities will be helpful for engineers when evaluating the formation characteristics of pyroclastic rocks. To investigate the predictability of the wet-rock P-wave velocity from the dry-rock P-wave velocity for pyroclastic rocks P-wave velocity measurements were conducted on 27 different pyroclastic rocks. In addition, dry-rock S-wave velocity measurements were conducted. The test results were modeled using Gassmann's and Wood's theories and it was seen that estimates for saturated P-wave velocity from the theories fit well measured data. For samples having values of less and greater than 20%, practical equations were derived for reliably estimating wet-rock P-wave velocity as function of dry-rock P-wave velocity.

Stability and predictability in younger crystalline rock system: Japanese Islands case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, S.

2009-01-01

The Japanese Islands consist of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks ranging in age from Paleozoic to Cenozoic. Among these, Carboniferous to Paleogene rocks occupy about 60% of the total area of the Japanese Islands. It should be noted that Quaternary volcanic rocks occupy only about 9% of the total area, although Quaternary volcanoes occur throughout the Japanese Islands. Long-term stability and predictability in the rock system are discussed in terms of volcanic activity, active faulting, and plate motion. Volcanic activity in the Japanese Islands is intimately related to subduction of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The volcanic front related to the Pacific and the Philippine Sea plates has been essentially fixed since about 6 Ma. The main active faults, which are distributed sporadically throughout the Japanese Islands, number about 150 and have been extensively investigated. The modes of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate have been essentially invariable since 10 Ma and 6 Ma, respectively. These lines of evidence imply that volcanism and tectonism in the Japanese Islands will scarcely change for hundreds of thousands of years into the future. It is clear that many places suitable for geological disposal will be present in this rock system. (author)

Review of the petrology of the Auckland Volcanic Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, I.E.M.; McGee, L.E.; Lindsay, J.M.

2009-01-01

Research has long shown that the petrology of suites of volcanic rock can be used to define and understand the fundamental parameters of the magmatic systems that feed volcanoes. The geochemistry of volcanic rocks provides information about the nature of the source rocks, depths and amounts of melting, the processes that act on magmas as they rise to the surface and, most importantly, the rates of these processes. In turn, the answers to fundamental petrological questions can provide input to important questions concerning volcano hazard scenarios and hazard mitigation challenges. The multi-disciplinary DEVORA research programme, launched in 2008, is a GNS Science-University of Auckland collaboration with the aim of DEtermining VOlcanic Risk in Auckland. One of its main themes is the development of an integrated geological model for the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) by investigating the physical controls on magma generation, ascent and eruption though detailed structural and petrological investigations. A key data set underpinning this theme is a comprehensive geochemical database for the rocks of the AVF. This report, Review of the Petrology of the Auckland Volcanic Field, is a synthesis and commentary of all petrological and geochemical data currently available for the AVF. It represents one of several reports carried out as part of the 'synthesis' phase of DEVORA, whereby existing data from previous work is collated and summarised, so that gaps in current knowledge can be appropriately addressed. In this report we utilise published and unpublished sources to summarise the petrological data available up to May 2009, and identify where new data and approaches will improve our understanding of the magmatic system which feeds the field. (author). 53 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Search for Magnetic Monopoles in Polar Volcanic Rocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bendtz, K.; Milstead, D.; Hächler, H. -P.

2013-01-01

following the passage of igneous rock samples through a SQUID-based magnetometer. A total of 24.6 kg of rocks from various selected sites, among which 23.4 kg are mantle-derived rocks from the Arctic and Antarctic areas, was analyzed. No monopoles were found, and a 90% confidence level upper limit of 9.8 x...

Major-element geochemistry of the Silent Canyon--Black Mountain peralkaline volcanic centers, northwestern Nevada Test Site: applications to an assessment of renewed volcanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowe, B.M.; Sargent, K.A.

1979-01-01

The Silent Canyon and Black Mountain volcanic centers are located in the northern part of the Nevada Test Site. The Silent Canyon volcanic center is a buried cauldron complex of Miocene age (13 to 15 m.y.). Black Mountain volcanic center is an elliptical-shaped cauldron complex of late Miocene age. The lavas and tuffs of the two centers comprise a subalkaline-peralkaline association. Rock types range from quartz normative subalkaline trachyte and rhyolite to peralkaline commendite. The Gold Flat Member of the Thirsty Canyon Tuff (Black Mountain) is a pantellerite. The major-element geochemistry of the Black Mountain--Silent Canyon volcanic centers differ in the total range and distribution of SiO 2 , contents, the degree of peralkalinity (molecular Na 2 O + K 2 O > Al 2 O 3 ) and in the values of total iron and alumina through the range of rock types. These differences indicate that the suites were unrelated and evolved from differing magma bodies. The Black Mountain volcanic cycle represents a renewed phase of volcanism following cessation of the Timber Mountain--Silent Canyon volcanic cycles. Consequently, there is a small but numerically incalculable probability of recurrence of Black Mountain-type volcanism within the Nevada Test Site region. This represents a potential risk with respect to deep geologic storage of high-level radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site

Geochemical, petrographic and physical characterizations and associated alterations of the volcanic rocks of the Romanesque San Nicola Church (Ottana, central Sardinia, Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Columbu, Stefano; Palomba, Marcella; Sitzia, Fabio

2015-04-01

In this research, the volcanic rocks belonging to the Sardinia Oligo-Miocene volcanic cycle (32 - 11 Ma) and building up the structure of the San Nicola church, one of the most representative churches of the Romanesque architecture, were studied. These stones were widely used in medieval architecture for the excellent workability, but they present some disadvantages, since they are greatly affected by alteration phenomena. The main objectives of this research are i) to focus the mineral, chemical and petrographic compositions of the San Nicola stones, ii) the chemical and physical alteration processes affecting these materials, and iii) to establish the exactly provenance of the volcanic rocks. Furthermore, a comparative study between the rocks from the ancient quarries and those forming the structure of the church was performed. In the ancient quarries, where presumably a more advanced alteration occurs due to the vertical alteration gradient, different facies of the same volcanic lithology, characterized by macroscopical evidences of chemical-physical degradation degree, were sampled. Petrographic, geochemical (both major elements that the traces) and physical-mechanical features of the collected samples were determined to highlight the compositional differences (density, porosity, water-absorption kinetics, mechanical resistance) as a function of the different alteration degree. Moreover, chemical-mineralogical analysis of the sample surfaces from the church, was performed, to highlight possible presence and nature of secondary newly-formed phases (e.g., salt efflorescence). Several methodologies were applied to carry out physical-chemical and petrographic analysis: X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) for chemical and mineral composition; Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for textures, mineral assemblages and microstructures studies; He-picnometry, water-absorption and mechanical

Research on supplying potential of uranium source from rocks in western provenance area of Hailaer basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Yuliang; Liu Hanbin; Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing

2006-01-01

Using U-Pb isotope composition evolution, this paper expounds the initial uranium content in volcanic rocks of provenance area of Xihulitu basin and in granites of provenance area of Kelulun sag, western Hailaer basin. The initial uranium content (U 0 ) in volcanic rocks of provenance area is higher, the average initial uranium content of volcanic rocks is 10.061 x 10 -6 , the average uranium variation coefficient (ΔU) is -49.57%; the average initial uranium content of granites is 18.381 x 10 -6 , the average uranium variation coefficient (ΔU) is -80%. The results indicate that rocks in provenance area could provide the pre-enrichment of uranium in deposited sandstone. U-Ra equilibrium coefficients of rocks indicate that there is obvious U-Ra disequilibrium phenomenon in volcanic rocks, and the time when granites provided uranium source occurred 16000 a ago. (authors)

Compositional Differences between Felsic Volcanic Rocks from the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bheema

characteristics of the volcanic units, we describe the compositional differences ...... Geology and mineral resources of Somalia and surrounding regions. ... zone (Ethiopia) Journal of Volcanological and Geothermal Research, 80: 267-280.

Geochemistry of the volcanic dome in the Municipality of Iza, Boyaca Department, geodynamic interpretation and comparison with Neogene volcanism of the Eastern Cordillera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesga, Ana Maria; Jaramillo, Jose

2009-01-01

This work has as purpose to offer new analytic data, supplemented the available ones until the present regarding the volcanic rocks of the region of Iza, (Boyaca); in the same way, the development of a new approach, as for determining if exists a direct connection with other volcanic deposits geographically near to the study area, using descriptive statistical methods. It was realized a characterization geochemistry for 12 samples gathered in the area, where were analyzed big elements, smaller and traces and using diagrams of characterization for effusive rocks, it is corroborated that these possess an alkaline likeness of riolitic composition. Besides the use of normalized diagrams whose abundances of elements of strong electrostatic field (HFSE) as the Nb and Zr, and elements of big ionic radio (LILE) in this case the Rb, they allowed to this rocks characteristic of ambient coalitional. On the other hand, with the obtained results of the statistical analyses, the existent relationship settled down between two geographically places near, as are it volcanic bodies of Los Naranjos and those of Paipa. As for of Iza, it was found that relationship doesn't exist some with another volcanic body among the studied sectors, probably due the alteration hydrothermal that presents the dome of Iza.

Palaeomagnetic constraints on the age of Lomo Negro volcanic eruption (El Hierro, Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Villasante-Marcos, Víctor; Pavón-Carrasco, Francisco Javier

2014-12-01

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out in 29 cores drilled at six different sites from the volcanic products of Lomo Negro eruption (El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain). Systematic thermal and alternating field demagnetization of the samples' natural remanent magnetization revealed a northward, stable palaeomagnetic direction similar in all the samples. Rock magnetic experiments indicate that this palaeomagnetic component is carried by a mixture of high-Ti and low-Ti titanomagnetite crystals typical of basaltic lithologies that have experienced a significant degree of oxyexsolution during subaerial cooling. The well constrained palaeomagnetic direction of Lomo Negro lavas was used to perform a palaeomagnetic dating of the volcanic event, using the SHA.DIF.14k global geomagnetic model restricted for the last 3000 yr. It can be unambiguously concluded that Lomo Negro eruption occurred well before the previously proposed date of 1793 AD, with three different age ranges being statistically possible during the last 3 ka: 115 BC-7 AD, 410-626 AD and 1499-1602 AD. The calibration of a previously published non-calibrated 14C dating suggests a XVI c. date for Lomo Negro eruption. This conclusion leaves open the possibility that the seismic crisis occurred at El Hierro in 1793 AD was related to an intrusive magmatic event that either did not reach the surface or either culminated in an unregistered submarine eruption similar to the one occurred in 2011-2012 at the southern off-shore ridge of the island.

Diffuse CO_{2} degassing monitoring of the oceanic active volcanic island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Pedro A.; Norrie, Janice; Withoos, Yannick; García-Merino, Marta; Melián, Gladys; Padrón, Eleazar; Barrancos, José; Padilla, Germán; Rodríguez, Fátima; Pérez, Nemesio M.

2017-04-01

Even during repose periods, volcanoes release large amounts of gases from both visible (fumaroles, solfataras, plumes) and non-visible emanations (diffuse degassing). In the last 20 years, there has been considerable interest in the study of diffuse degassing as a powerful tool in volcano monitoring programs, particularly in those volcanic areas where there are no visible volcanic-hydrothermal gas emissions. Historically, soil gas and diffuse degassing surveys in volcanic environments have focused mainly on CO2 because it is, after water vapor, the most abundant gas dissolved in magma. As CO2 travels upward by advective-diffusive transport mechanisms and manifests itself at the surface, changes in its flux pattern over time provide important information for monitoring volcanic and seismic activity. Since 1998, diffuse CO2 emission has been monitored at El Hierro Island, the smallest and south westernmost island of the Canarian archipelago with an area of 278 km2. As no visible emanations occur at the surface environment of El Hierro, diffuse degassing studies have become the most useful geochemical tool to monitor the volcanic activity in this volcanic island. The island experienced a volcano-seismic unrest that began in July 2011, characterized by the location of a large number of relatively small earthquakes (MHierro at depths between 8 and 15 km. On October 12, 2011, a submarine eruption was confirmed during the afternoon of October 12, 2011 by visual observations off the coast of El Hierro, about 2 km south of the small village of La Restinga in the southernmost part of the island. During the pre-eruptive and eruptive periods, the time series of the diffuse CO2 emission released by the whole island experienced two significant increases. The first started almost 2 weeks before the onset of the submarine eruption, reflecting a clear geochemical anomaly in CO2 emission, most likely due to increasing release of deep seated magmatic gases to the surface. The second

Areal and time distributions of volcanic formations on Mars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katterfeld, G.N.; Vityaz, V.I.

1987-01-01

The analysis of igneous rock distribution has been fulfilled on the basis of the geomorphological map of Mars at scale 1:5,000,000, according to data obtained from interpretation of 1:2,000,000 scale pictures of Mariner 9, Mars 4, Mars 5, Viking 1 and 2. Areological areas are listed as having been distinguished as the stratigraphic basis for a martian time scale. The area of volcanic eruptions and the number of eruptive centers are calculated on 10 x 10 deg cells and for each areological eras. The largest area of eruptive happening at different times is related with Tharsis tectonic uplift. The study of distribution of igneous rock area and volcanic centers number on 10 deg sectors and zones revealed the concentration belts of volcanic formations

Areal and time distributions of volcanic formations on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Katterfeld, G. N.; Vityaz, V. I.

1987-01-01

The analysis of igneous rock distribution has been fulfilled on the basis of the geomorphological map of Mars at scale 1:5,000,000, according to data obtained from interpretation of 1:2,000,000 scale pictures of Mariner 9, Mars 4, Mars 5, Viking 1 and 2. Areological areas are listed as having been distinguished as the stratigraphic basis for a martian time scale. The area of volcanic eruptions and the number of eruptive centers are calculated on 10 x 10 deg cells and for each areological eras. The largest area of eruptive happening at different times is related with Tharsis tectonic uplift. The study of distribution of igneous rock area and volcanic centers number on 10 deg sectors and zones revealed the concentration belts of volcanic formations.

Volcanic sequence in Late Triassic – Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic rocks from Galeana, NE Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cruz-Gómez, E.M.; Velasco-Tapia, F.; Ramírez-Fernández, J.A.; Jenchen, U.; Rodríguez-Saavedra, P.; Rodríguez-Díaz, A.A.; Iriondo, A.

2017-11-01

In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.

Volcanic sequence in Late Triassic – Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic rocks from Galeana, NE Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz-Gómez, E.M.; Velasco-Tapia, F.; Ramírez-Fernández, J.A.; Jenchen, U.; Rodríguez-Saavedra, P.; Rodríguez-Díaz, A.A.; Iriondo, A.

2017-01-01

In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.

Quantifying submarine groundwater discharge in the coastal zone via multiple methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, W.C.; Aggarwal, P.K.; Aureli, A.; Bokuniewicz, H.; Cable, J.E.; Charette, M.A.; Kontar, E.; Krupa, S.; Kulkarni, K.M.; Loveless, A.; Moore, W.S.; Oberdorfer, J.A.; Oliveira, J.; Ozyurt, N.; Povinec, P.; Privitera, A.M.G.; Rajar, R.; Ramessur, R.T.; Scholten, J.; Stieglitz, T.; Taniguchi, M.; Turner, J.V.

2006-01-01

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is now recognized as an important pathway between land and sea. As such, this flow may contribute to the biogeochemical and other marine budgets of near-shore waters. These discharges typically display significant spatial and temporal variability making assessments difficult. Groundwater seepage is patchy, diffuse, temporally variable, and may involve multiple aquifers. Thus, the measurement of its magnitude and associated chemical fluxes is a challenging enterprise. A joint project of UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has examined several methods of SGD assessment and carried out a series of five intercomparison experiments in different hydrogeologic environments (coastal plain, karst, glacial till, fractured crystalline rock, and volcanic terrains). This report reviews the scientific and management significance of SGD, measurement approaches, and the results of the intercomparison experiments. We conclude that while the process is essentially ubiquitous in coastal areas, the assessment of its magnitude at any one location is subject to enough variability that measurements should be made by a variety of techniques and over large enough spatial and temporal scales to capture the majority of these changing conditions. We feel that all the measurement techniques described here are valid although they each have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is recommended that multiple approaches be applied whenever possible. In addition, a continuing effort is required in order to capture long-period tidal fluctuations, storm effects, and seasonal variations

Quantifying submarine groundwater discharge in the coastal zone via multiple methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burnett, W.C. [Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (United States); Aggarwal, P.K.; Kulkarni, K.M. [Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy Agency (Austria); Aureli, A. [Department Water Resources Management, University of Palermo, Catania (Italy); Bokuniewicz, H. [Marine Science Research Center, Stony Brook University (United States); Cable, J.E. [Department Oceanography, Louisiana State University (United States); Charette, M.A. [Department Marine Chemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (United States); Kontar, E. [Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russian Federation); Krupa, S. [South Florida Water Management District (United States); Loveless, A. [University of Western Australia (Australia); Moore, W.S. [Department Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina (United States); Oberdorfer, J.A. [Department Geology, San Jose State University (United States); Oliveira, J. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (Brazil); Ozyurt, N. [Department Geological Engineering, Hacettepe (Turkey); Povinec, P.; Scholten, J. [Marine Environment Laboratory, International Atomic Energy Agency (Monaco); Privitera, A.M.G. [U.O. 4.17 of the G.N.D.C.I., National Research Council (Italy); Rajar, R. [Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia); Ramessur, R.T. [Department Chemistry, University of Mauritius (Mauritius); Stieglitz, T. [Mathematical and Physical Sciences, James Cook University (Australia); Taniguchi, M. [Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (Japan); Turner, J.V. [CSIRO, Land and Water, Perth (Australia)

2006-08-31

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is now recognized as an important pathway between land and sea. As such, this flow may contribute to the biogeochemical and other marine budgets of near-shore waters. These discharges typically display significant spatial and temporal variability making assessments difficult. Groundwater seepage is patchy, diffuse, temporally variable, and may involve multiple aquifers. Thus, the measurement of its magnitude and associated chemical fluxes is a challenging enterprise. A joint project of UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has examined several methods of SGD assessment and carried out a series of five intercomparison experiments in different hydrogeologic environments (coastal plain, karst, glacial till, fractured crystalline rock, and volcanic terrains). This report reviews the scientific and management significance of SGD, measurement approaches, and the results of the intercomparison experiments. We conclude that while the process is essentially ubiquitous in coastal areas, the assessment of its magnitude at any one location is subject to enough variability that measurements should be made by a variety of techniques and over large enough spatial and temporal scales to capture the majority of these changing conditions. We feel that all the measurement techniques described here are valid although they each have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is recommended that multiple approaches be applied whenever possible. In addition, a continuing effort is required in order to capture long-period tidal fluctuations, storm effects, and seasonal variations. (author)

Assessing hydraulic connections across a complex sequence of volcanic rocks - Analysis of U-20 WW multiple-well aquifer test, Pahute Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, C. Amanda; Fenelon, Joseph M.; Halford, Keith J.; Reiner, Steven R.; Laczniak, Randell J.

2011-01-01

Groundwater beneath Pahute Mesa flows through a complexly layered sequence of volcanic rock aquifers and confining units that have been faulted into distinct structural blocks. Hydraulic property estimates of rocks and structures in this flow system are necessary to assess radionuclide migration near underground nuclear testing areas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) used a 12 month (October 1, 2008— October 1, 2009) intermittent pumping schedule of well U-20 WW and continuously monitored water levels in observation wells ER-20-6 #3, UE-20bh 1, and U-20bg as a multi-well aquifer test to evaluate hydraulic connections across structural blocks, bulk hydraulic properties of volcanic rocks, and the hydraulic significance of a major fault. Measured water levels were approximated using synthetic water levels generated from an analytical model. Synthetic water levels are a summation of environmental water-level fluctuations and a Theis (1935) transform of the pumping signal from flow rate to water-level change. Drawdown was estimated by summing residual differences between measured and synthetic water levels and the Theis-transformed pumping signal from April to September 2009. Drawdown estimates were used in a three‑dimensional numerical model to estimate hydraulic properties of distinct aquifers, confining units, and a major fault.

Geochronology and correlation of Tertiary volcanic and intrusive rocks in part of the southern Toquima Range, Nye County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Shawe, Daniel R.; Snee, Lawrence W.; Byers, Frank M.; du Bray, Edward A.

2014-01-01

Extensive volcanic and intrusive igneous activity, partly localized along regional structural zones, characterized the southern Toquima Range, Nevada, in the late Eocene, Oligocene, and Miocene. The general chronology of igneous activity has been defined previously. This major episode of Tertiary magmatism began with emplacement of a variety of intrusive rocks, followed by formation of nine major calderas and associated with voluminous extrusive and additional intrusive activity. Emplacement of volcanic eruptive and collapse megabreccias accompanied formation of some calderas. Penecontemporaneous volcanism in central Nevada resulted in deposition of distally derived outflow facies ash-flow tuff units that are interleaved in the Toquima Range with proximally derived ash-flow tuffs. Eruption of the Northumberland Tuff in the north part of the southern Toquima Range and collapse of the Northumberland caldera occurred about 32.3 million years ago. The poorly defined Corcoran Canyon caldera farther to the southeast formed following eruption of the tuff of Corcoran Canyon about 27.2 million years ago. The Big Ten Peak caldera in the south part of the southern Toquima Range Tertiary volcanic complex formed about 27 million years ago during eruption of the tuff of Big Ten Peak and associated air-fall tuffs. The inferred Ryecroft Canyon caldera formed in the south end of the Monitor Valley adjacent to the southern Toquima Range and just north of the Big Ten Peak caldera in response to eruption of the tuff of Ryecroft Canyon about 27 million years ago, and the Moores Creek caldera just south of the Northumberland caldera developed at about the same time. Eruption of the tuff of Mount Jefferson about 26.8 million years ago was accompanied by collapse of the Mount Jefferson caldera in the central part of the southern Toquima Range. An inferred caldera, mostly buried beneath alluvium of Big Smoky Valley southwest of the Mount Jefferson caldera, formed about 26.5 million years

Cretaceous alkaline volcanism in south Marzanabad, northern central Alborz, Iran: Geochemistry and petrogenesis

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Roghieh Doroozi

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The alkali-basalt and basaltic trachy-andesites volcanic rocks of south Marzanabad were erupted during Cretaceous in central Alborz, which is regarded as the northern part of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. Based on petrography and geochemistry, en route fractional crystallization of ascending magma was an important process in the evolution of the volcanic rocks. Geochemical characteristics imply that the south Marzanabad alkaline basaltic magma was originated from the asthenospheric mantle source, whereas the high ratios of (La/YbN and (Dy/YbN are related to the low degree of partial melting from the garnet bearing mantle source. Enrichment pattern of Nb and depletion of Rb, K and Y, are similar to the OIB pattern and intraplate alkaline magmatic rocks. The K/Nb and Zr/Nb ratios of volcanic rocks range from 62 to 588 and from 4.27 to 9 respectively, that are some higher in more evolved samples which may reflect minor crustal contamination. The isotopic ratios of Sr and Nd respectively vary from 0.70370 to 0.704387 and from 0.51266 to 0.51281 that suggest the depleted mantle as a magma source. The development of south Marzanabad volcanic rocks could be related to the presence of extensional phase, upwelling and decompressional melting of asthenospheric mantle in the rift basin which made the alkaline magmatism in Cretaceous, in northern central Alborz of Iran.

Basic rocks in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piirainen, T.; Gehoer, S.; Iljina, M.; Kaerki, A.; Paakkola, J.; Vuollo, J.

1992-10-01

Basic igneous rocks, containing less than 52% SiO 2 , constitute an important part of the Finnish Archaean and Proterozoic crust. In the Archaean crust exist two units which contain the majority of the basic rocks. The Arcaean basic rocks are metavolcanics and situated in the Greenstone Belts of Eastern Finland. They are divided into two units. The greenstones of the lower one are tholeiites, komatiites and basaltic komatiites. The upper consists of bimodal series of volcanics and the basic rocks of which are Fe-tholeiites, basaltic komatiites and komatiites. Proterozoic basic rocks are divided into seven groups according to their ages. The Proterozoic igneous activity started by the volominous basic magmatism 2.44 Ga ago. During this stage formed the layered intrusions and related dykes in the Northern Finland. 2.2 Ga old basic rocks are situated at the margins of Karelian formations. 2.1 Ga aged Fe-tholeiitic magmatic activity is widespread in Eastern and Northern Finland. The basic rocks of 1.97 Ga age group are met within the Karelian Schist Belts as obducted ophiolite complexes but they occur also as tholeiitic diabase dykes cutting the Karelian schists and Archean basement. The intrusions and the volcanics of the 1.9 Ga old basic igneous activity are mostly encountered around the Granitoid Complex of Central Finland. Subjotnian, 1.6 Ga aged tholeiitic diabases are situated around the Rapakivi massifs of Southern Finland, and postjotnian, 1.2 Ga diabases in Western Finland where they form dykes cutting Svecofennian rocks

Frictional processes during flank motion at Mount Etna (Italy): experimental characterisation of slip on similar and dissimilar volcanic and sedimentary rocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozanski, Wojciech; Lavallee, Yan; Kendrick, Jackie; Castagna, Angela; Mitchell, Thomas; Heap, Michael; Vinciguerra, Sergio; Hirose, Takehiro; Dingwell, Donald

2015-04-01

The edifice of Mount Etna (Italy) is structurally unstable, exhibiting a near continuous ESE seaward sliding along a set of faults due to interplay between regional tectonics, gravity instability and magma intrusion. Continuous seismic and ground deformation monitoring reveals the resulting large-scale flank motion at variable rates. The mechanisms controlling this faulting kinetic remains, however, poorly constrained. Examination of the fault zones reveals a range of rock types along the different fault segments: fresh and altered basalt, clay and limestone. As lithological contrasts can jeopardise the structural stability of an edifice, we experimentally investigate the frictional properties of these rocks using low- to high-velocity-rotary shear tests on similar and dissimilar rocks to better understand episodes of slow flank motion as well as rapid and catastrophic sector collapse events. The first set of experiments was performed at velocities up to 1.2 m/s and at normal stresses of 1.5 MPa, commensurate with depths of the contacts seen in the Etna edifice. Friction experiments on clay gouge shows the strong rate-weakening dependence of slip in this material as well as the release of carbon dioxide. Friction experiments on solid rocks show a wider range of mechanical behaviour. At high velocity (>0.6 m/s) volcanic rocks tend to melt whereas the clay and limestone do not; rather they decarbonate, which prevents the rock from achieving the temperature required for melting. Experiments on dissimilar rocks clearly show that composition of host rocks affects the composition and viscosity of the resultant frictional melt, which can have a dramatic effect on shear stress leading to fault weakening or strengthening depending on the combination of host rock samples. A series of low- to moderate-slip velocity experiments is now being conducted to complement our dataset and provide a more complete rock friction model applicable to Mount Etna.

Multiple episodes of hydrothermal activity and epithermal mineralization in the southwestern Nevada volcanic field and their relations to magmatic activity, volcanism and regional extension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, S.I.; Noble, D.C.; Jackson, M.C.

1994-01-01

Volcanic rocks of middle Miocene age and underlying pre-Mesozoic sedimentary rocks host widely distributed zones of hydrothermal alteration and epithermal precious metal, fluorite and mercury deposits within and peripheral to major volcanic and intrusive centers of the southwestern Nevada volcanic field (SWNVF) in southern Nevada, near the southwestern margin of the Great Basin of the western United States. Radiometric ages indicate that episodes of hydrothermal activity mainly coincided with and closely followed major magmatic pulses during the development of the field and together spanned more than 4.5 m.y. Rocks of the SWNVF consist largely of rhyolitic ash-flow sheets and intercalated silicic lava domes, flows and near-vent pyroclastic deposits erupted between 15.2 and 10 Ma from vent areas in the vicinity of the Timber Mountain calderas, and between about 9.5 and 7 Ma from the outlying Black Mountain and Stonewall Mountain centers. Three magmatic stages can be recognized: the main magmatic stage, Mountain magmatic stage (11.7 to 10.0 Ma), and the late magmatic stage (9.4 to 7.5 Ma)

Rb-Sr measurements on metamorphic rocks from the Barro Alto Complex, Goias, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuck, R.A.; Neves, B.B.B.; Cordani, U.G.; Kawashita, K.

1988-01-01

The Barro Alto Complex comprises a highly deformed and metamorphosed association of plutonic, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks exposed in a 150 x 25 Km boomerang-like strip in Central Goias, Brazil. It is the southernmost tip of an extensive yet discontinuous belt of granulite and amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks which include the Niquelandia and Cana Brava complexes to the north. Two rock associations are distinguished within the granulite belt. The first one comprises a sequence of fine-grained mafic granulite, hypersthene-quartz-feldspar granulite, garnet quartzite, sillimanite-garnet-cordierite gneiss, calc-silicate rock, and magnetite-rich iron formation. The second association comprises medium-to coarse-grained mafic rocks. The medium-grade rocks of the western/northern portion (Barro Alto Complex) comprise both layered mafic rocks and a volcanic-sedimentary sequence, deformed and metamorphosed under amphibolite facies conditions. The fine-grained amphibolite form the basal part of the Juscelandia meta volcanic-sedimentary sequence. A geochronologic investigation by the Rb-Sr method has been carried out mainly on felsic rocks from the granulite belt and gneisses of the Juscelandia sequence. The analytical results for the Juscelandia sequence are presented. Isotope results for rocks from different outcrops along the gneiss layer near Juscelandia are also presented. In conclusion, Rb-Sr isotope measurements suggest that the Barro Alto rocks have undergone at least one important metamorphic event during Middle Proterozoic times, around 1300 Ma ago. During that event volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Juscelandia sequence, as well as the underlying gabbro-anorthosite layered complex, underwent deformation and recrystallization under amphibolite facies conditions. (author)

Excess europium content in Precambrian sedimentary rocks and continental evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Jakes, P.; Taylor, S. R.

1974-01-01

It is proposed that the europium excess in Precambrian sedimentary rocks, relative to those of younger age, is derived from volcanic rocks of ancient island arcs, which were the source materials for the sediments. Precambrian sedimentary rocks and present-day volcanic rocks of island arcs have similar REE patterns, total REE abundances, and excess Eu, relative to the North American shale composite. The present upper crustal REE pattern, as exemplified by that of sediments, is depleted in Eu, relative to chondrites. This depletion is considered to be a consequence of development of a granodioritic upper crust by partial melting in the lower crust, which selectively retains europium.

Adakitica affinity rocks south-east of Manizales: petrogenetic features and geochemistry (Colombia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toro Toro, Luz Mary; Alvaran Echeverri, Mauricio; Borrero Pena, Carlos Alberto

2008-01-01

To the southeast of Manizales city, in Gallinazo area, there are a series of aligned hills such as: Gallinazo, Amazonas, Sabinas, La Oliva and La Negra, corresponding to volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks of andesitic and dacitic composition respectively, geochemical data present characteristic of adakitic rocks. Both, volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks presents high SiO 2 concentration (63,87-70,15%), Al 2 O 3 (14,18-16,83%), low Y concentration (11,20-27 ppm) and Yb (0,94-1,93 ppm); strong enrichment in Light Rare Earth Elements(LREE) and highly incompatible elements (Rb, Ba), except for Sr which presents low contents and negative anomaly of Nb-Ta, characteristic that distinguish also the calcoalkaline magmas. Geochemical pattern of LREE and multielements show a strong fractionation ((La/ Yb)n>8) with typical low content of (Yb ≤ 1.8 ppm , Y ≤ 18 ppm). In this work authors propose SE Manizales adakita-like rocks were generated by subducted basaltic slab melting with some minimum peridotitic mantelic wedge contamination. Genesis and geochemical characteristics of these rocks open the possibility to find Au-Cu porphyry mineralizations and epithermal gold deposits in this area due to their highly oxidixing potential.

Basaltic volcanic episodes of the Yucca Mountain region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowe, B.M.

1990-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to summarize briefly the distribution and geologic characteristics of basaltic volcanism in the Yucca Mountain region during the last 10--12 Ma. This interval largely postdates the major period of silicic volcanism and coincides with and postdates the timing of major extensional faulting in the region. Field and geochronologic data for the basaltic rocks define two distinct episodes. The patterns in the volume and spatial distribution of these basaltic volcanic episodes in the central and southern part of the SNVF are used as a basis for forecasting potential future volcanic activity in vicinity of Yucca Mountain. 33 refs., 2 figs

Submarine hydrodynamics

CERN Document Server

Renilson, Martin

2015-01-01

This book adopts a practical approach and presents recent research together with applications in real submarine design and operation. Topics covered include hydrostatics, manoeuvring, resistance and propulsion of submarines. The author briefly reviews basic concepts in ship hydrodynamics and goes on to show how they are applied to submarines, including a look at the use of physical model experiments. The issues associated with manoeuvring in both the horizontal and vertical planes are explained, and readers will discover suggested criteria for stability, along with rudder and hydroplane effectiveness. The book includes a section on appendage design which includes information on sail design, different arrangements of bow planes and alternative stern configurations. Other themes explored in this book include hydro-acoustic performance, the components of resistance and the effect of hull shape. Readers will value the author’s applied experience as well as the empirical expressions that are presented for use a...

Characteristics and genesis of porphyroclastic lava rock in Xiangshan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Xiaohua; Wang Zhuning

2012-01-01

Due to the transitional characteristics of porphyroclastic lava rock in Xiangshan of Jiangxi province, there are a variety of views on its genesis, petrographic attribution. This is because the marginal facies of the porphyroclastic lava is with ignimbrite and tuff characteristics, its transition phase has the characteristics of lava, and its intermediate phase has the feature of sub-volcanic rocks, further more, different texture of the rocks bears transition relationship. By the study of mineral composition, REE pattern, trace elements, isotopes, we put forward that the porphyroclastic lava is formed by the remelting of basement metamorphic rocks. The rocks was believed to be formed in the environment similar to volcanics and subvolcanics, and quite different to plutonic rocks due to the features of low-structure of potassium feldspar phenocrysts and solution mechanism, because the porphyroclastic lava phenocrysts occurs as fragments and maybe related to cryptoexplosion. Therefore the rocks was believed to belong to the volcano extrusive facies. (authors)

K-Ar dating on acidic rocks from the Western Aizu District, Fukushima Prefecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, Ikuro; Ueda, Yoshio

1979-01-01

K-Ar age determinations were carried out on twelve samples of various acidic rocks (six volcanic rocks, two pyroclastics and four granitic rocks) which were obtained from the western part of Aizu district. The district studied is one of the important acidic petrographic provinces in the Green tuff region of Northeast Japan, and is widely covered by the acidic volcanic rocks and pyroclastics of Neogene period. The ages of six volcanic rocks range from 8 to 23 m.y., and they are generally correlated to the stratigraphic units of the Neogene in Northeast Japan. Dating results on four granitic rocks from the Tagokura granitic body showed the age range of 39 to 65 m.y., corresponding to the Late Cretaceous to Eocene. A sample of dacitic welded tuff from the Miyako River area gave an age of 44 m.y. It is pointed out that the welded tuff may be correlated to the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene acidic igneous rocks such as Nohi rhyolites, Asahi rhyolites, Tagawa acidic rocks and others, on the basis of the age and lithofacies of the rock. However, further geological and geochronological data are necessary to settle the problem. (author)

Submarine Rejuvenated-Stage Lavas Offshore Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Clague, D. A.; Cousens, B. L.; Davis, A. S.; Dixon, J. E.; Hon, K.; Moore, J. G.; Reynolds, J. R.

2003-12-01

Rejuvenated-stage lavas from the Hawaiian Islands form many distinctive landmarks, such as Diamond Head. They have been relatively well studied due to their primitive, strongly alkaline compositions (alkalic basalt, basanite, nephelinite, melilitite, phonolite). More recently, compositionally similar lavas have been mapped and sampled on the deep seafloor around the islands. Rejuvenated-stage cones also occur on the submarine flanks of the islands. A Pisces V submersible dive collected samples from the only submarine cone on the north slope of East Molokai. The alkalic basalt to basanite composition lava is similar to the subaerial Kalaupapa basalt (Clague and Moore, 2003). MBARI Tiburon ROV dives recovered nephelinite from a lone steep cone on the northeast slope of Oahu, alkalic basalt from two shallow steep cones just west of the Koko Rift, and alkalic basalt from the submarine flank of Diamond Head on Oahu's south flank. These lavas are generally similar to subaerial Honolulu Volcanics, although the isotopic data extend to higher Sr isotopic values. Other MBARI Tiburon ROV dives recovered alkalic basalt and basanite from 8 separate steep cones on the south flank of Kauai. Once again, these lavas are chemically similar to those from the subaerial Koloa Volcanics. Samples from one of these cones contained common xenoliths of upper mantle lherzolite and harzburgite. Seven MBARI Tiburon ROV dives on the northwest flank of Niihau sampled 6 flat-topped cones and 5 pointed cones. The lavas from the flat-topped cones are alkalic basalt similar to rejuvenated Kiekie Basalt on Niihau Island whereas the lavas from the pointed cones are basanite, hawaiite, and tephrophonolite that are chemically distinct from the Kiekie Basalt, but similar to rejuvenated-stage lavas on Kauai and Oahu. Volcaniclastic deposits were observed and sampled at many of the sites offshore Niihau, Kauai, and Oahu, as well as the North Arch. Breadcrust and spindle bombs and spatter were found

To the problem of utilization of nuclear submarines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarakanov, E.; Larin, V.

1999-01-01

Paper discusses a concept of step-by-step utilization of nuclear submarines in Russia. By the late 2000 minimum 160 nuclear submarines with over 300 nuclear reactors should be removed. Unloading of spent nuclear fuel from reactors, dismounting of nuclear submarines, efforts to arrange storage facilities for liquid and solid radioactive waste are the main steps of nuclear submarine utilization. Under the rates of nuclear submarine utilization being as they are, the utilization of 160 nuclear submarines will take about 30 years. Paper analyzes the alternative variants of nuclear submarine utilization and discusses the social and ecological aspects of utilization of nuclear submarines [ru

Changes in body composition of submarine crew during prolonged submarine deployment

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Sourabh Bhutani

2015-01-01

Discussion: Increased body fat along with lack of physical activity can lead to development of lifestyle disorders in submarine crew. These crew members need to be actively encouraged to participate in physical activity when in harbour. In addition dieting program specifically to encourage reduced fat consumption needs to be instituted in submarines during sorties at sea.

Lithium, boron and chloride in volcanics and greywackes in Northland, Auckland and the Taupo Volcanic Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyes, A.G.; Trompetter, W.J.

1998-01-01

During magmatic differentiation processes B preferentially partitions into the glassy mesostasis of rhyolite and andesite. The behaviour of Li, on the other hand, varies with the silica content of the rock. Lithium, B, Cl and water contents increase proportionally with the silica concentration of the volcanic rocks. Their relative proportions in andesites of the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) appear to reflect the nature of the underlying crust, the dip of the subducting slab and hence the depth and temperature of magma generation. The B/Li ratios of rhyolites associated with the northern Rotorua and Okataina eruptive centres yield lower B/Li ratios than those from Maroa and Taupo centres in the south, where the slab subducts at a shallower angle. Apparently, volcanics associated with a younger subduction event as in the TVZ, contain and retain more Cl, yielding lower Li/Cl ratios for the TVZ than Northland-Auckland basalts. The B/Li ratio of greywackes from the Torlesse terrane ( 1.4). In geothermal wells in Ngawha, hydrothermal alteration yields higher B/Li ratios of >2.8 for Waipapa terrane sedimentary rocks. The Li/Cl ratios for average South and North Island greywackes are similar and may reflect similar degrees of metamorphism. In general, the relative Li, B and Cl contents in greywackes are dictated by the composition of the detrital fragments, the clay fraction, the type of clays and the metamorphic grade. During hydrothermal alteration of rhyolite in the TVZ, Cl always partitions into solution while Li and B have an affinity for the rock. However, more Li remains in the rock than B at any given temperature. The distribution coefficients of Li and B between water and rock increase with increasing temperature. The partitioning of Li between rock and solution in TVZ hydrothermal systems is mainly dictated by temperature, whereas the mass distribution coefficient for B is related to the tectonic setting. An increase in relative Li of the rock is associated with the

Can a primary remanence be retrieved from partially remagnetized Eocence volcanic rocks in the Nanmulin Basin (southern Tibet) to date the India-Asia collision?

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wentao; Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; Lippert, Peter C.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Dekkers, Mark J.; Guo, Zhaojie; Waldrip, Ross; Li, Xiaochun; Zhang, Xiaoran; Liu, Dongdong; Kapp, Paul

2015-01-01

Paleomagnetic dating of the India-Asia collision hinges on determining the Paleogene latitude of the Lhasa terrane (southern Tibet). Reported latitudes range from 5°N to 30°N, however, leading to contrasting paleogeographic interpretations. Here we report new data from the Eocene Linzizong volcanic rocks in the Nanmulin Basin, which previously yielded data suggesting a low paleolatitude ( 10°N). New zircon U-Pb dates indicate an age of 52 Ma. Negative fold tests, however, demonstrate that the isolated characteristic remanent magnetizations, with notably varying inclinations, are not primary. Rock magnetic analyses, end-member modeling of isothermal remanent magnetization acquisition curves, and petrographic observations are consistent with variable degrees of posttilting remagnetization due to low-temperature alteration of primary magmatic titanomagnetite and the formation of secondary pigmentary hematite that unblock simultaneously. Previously reported paleomagnetic data from the Nanmulin Basin implying low paleolatitude should thus not be used to estimate the time and latitude of the India-Asia collision. We show that the paleomagnetic inclinations vary linearly with the contribution of secondary hematite to saturation isothermal remanent magnetization. We tentatively propose a new method to recover a primary remanence with inclination of 38.1° (35.7°, 40.5°) (95% significance) and a secondary remanence with inclination of 42.9° (41.5°,44.4°) (95% significance). The paleolatitude defined by the modeled primary remanence—21°N (19.8°N, 23.1°N)—is consistent with the regional compilation of published results from pristine volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks of the upper Linzizong Group corrected for inclination shallowing. The start of the Tibetan Himalaya-Asia collision was situated at 20°N and took place by 50 Ma.

The submarine hydrothermal system of Panarea (Southern Italy: biogeochemical processes at the thermal fluids - sea bottom interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Maugeri

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Among the submarine hydrothermal systems located offshore the volcanic archipelago of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Italy, the most active is located off the coasts of Panarea island. Thermal waters, gases and sulfur deposits coexist at the sea bottom where hydrothermal fluids are released from both shallow and deep vents. The chemical and isotopic composition of the fluid phase shows the presence of a significant magmatic component and the physico-chemical conditions of the geothermal reservoir allow the release of reduced chemical species that are microbially mediated towards the production of organic carbon as a form of biochemical energy. Microorganisms inhabiting this environment possess nutritional requirements and overall metabolic pathways ideally suited to such ecosystem that represents a clear example of the close connection between geosphere and biosphere. Microscopic examination of the white mat attached to rock surfaces showed the presence of Thiothrix-like filamentous bacteria. Moderately thermophilic heterotrophic isolates were identified as strains of the genus Bacillus. Although the hydrothermal system of Panarea has to be considered a “shallow” system, it shows many characteristics that make it similar to the “deep” oceanic systems, giving a unique opportunity for improving our knowledge on such an unexplored world by working at this easily accessible site.

Friction in volcanic environments

Science.gov (United States)

Kendrick, Jackie E.; Lavallée, Yan

2016-04-01

Volcanic landscapes are amongst the most dynamic on Earth and, as such, are particularly susceptible to failure and frictional processes. In rocks, damage accumulation is frequently accompanied by the release of seismic energy, which has been shown to accelerate in the approach to failure on both a field and laboratory scale. The point at which failure occurs is highly dependent upon strain-rate, which also dictates the slip-zone properties that pertain beyond failure, in scenarios such as sector collapse and pyroclastic flows as well as the ascent of viscous magma. High-velocity rotary shear (HVR) experiments have provided new opportunities to overcome the grand challenge of understanding faulting processes during volcanic phenomena. Work on granular ash material demonstrates that at ambient temperatures, ash gouge behaves according to Byerlee's rule at low slip velocities, but is slip-weakening, becoming increasingly lubricating as slip ensues. In absence of ash along a slip plane, rock-rock friction induces cataclasis and heating which, if sufficient, may induce melting (producing pseudotachylyte) and importantly, vesiculation. The viscosity of the melt, so generated, controls the subsequent lubrication or resistance to slip along the fault plane thanks to non-Newtonian suspension rheology. The shear-thinning behaviour and viscoelasticity of frictional melts yield a tendency for extremely unstable slip, and occurrence of frictional melt fragmentation. This velocity-dependence acts as an important feedback mechanism on the slip plane, in addition to the bulk composition, mineralogy and glass content of the magma, that all influence frictional behaviour. During sector collapse events and in pyroclastic density currents it is the frictional properties of the rocks and ash that, in-part, control the run-out distance and associated risk. In addition, friction plays an important role in the eruption of viscous magmas: In the conduit, the rheology of magma is integral

Characteristics of mesozoic magmatic rocks in western Zhejiang and their relation with uranium mineralization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Jiazhi

2000-01-01

The author summarizes characteristics of Mesozoic (Yangshanian Period) acid-intermediate volcanics, sub-volcanics and basic intrusive from aspects of formation time of rock series, petrogenic sequence, chemical composition, rock -controlling factors and petrogenic environments. It is suggested that these rocks were originated from different source areas of crust and mantle. Based on the time-space relation between different types uranium deposits and magmatic rocks, the author proposes that: the earlier stage (Earlier Cretaceous) U-hematite ores were originated from acid volcanic magmatism of crustal source, but the later stage (Late Cretaceous) pitchblende-polymetallic sulfide and pitchblende-purple fluorite rich ores were derived from basic magmatism of mantle source. Finally, the author proposes prospecting criteria of the above two types of uranium deposits

The origin of an oceanic plateau: Isotope geochemistry (Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf) of volcanic rocks from IODP Site U1347 and ODP Site 1213 (Hf data) on the Shatsky Rise (Northwest Pacific)

Science.gov (United States)

Heydolph, K.; Geldmacher, J.; Hoernle, K.

2011-12-01

K.HEYDOLPH1*, J.GELDMACHER2, 1 ,K.HOERNLE1 1IFM-GEOMAR, Wischhofstr. 1-3. D-24148 Kiel, Germany, (*correspondence: kheydolph@ifm-geomar.de) 2 Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University, 1000 Discovery Drive, College Station, Texas 77845-9547 (geldmacher@iodp.tamu.edu) The submarine Shatsky Rise plateau, a unique large igneous province (LIP) in the northwest Pacific Ocean ca. 1500 km east of Japan, is the only large intraoceanic plateau, which formed during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous at a time period with numerous reversals of the Earth's magnetic field. These magnetic reversals combined with bathymetric data allow a detailed reconstruction of the tectonic history. Accordingly the three main volcanic edifices Tamu, Ori and Shirshov massifs formed by massive volcanism during a short time span along a southwest - northeast trending, rapidly spreading triple junction. Therefore, the magnetic and bathymetric data suggest that the Shatsky Rise formed through the interaction of a mantle plume head with a ridge [1, 2]. We present new Sr, Nd and Pb (double spike) and for the first time Hf isotope data from volcanic rocks of relatively fresh basaltic lava flows from recent IODP Exp. 324 Site U1347 and ODP Leg 198 Site 1213 (Hf data) both located on Tamu massif the southernmost (oldest) volcanic edifice of Shtasky Rise. Initial 176Hf/177Hf and 143Nd/144Nd isotopic compositions are fairly uniform throughout the entire holes ranging between 0.283076 to 0.283100 and 0.512903 to 0.512981 respectively, showing neither distinct MORB nor intraplate (plume) affinity. Relatively unradiogenic 87Sr/86Sr data ranging from 0.70276 to 0.70296 mostly overlaps with Pacific MORB like values. In a Nd vs Hf isotope plot they form a tight cluster at the edge of the Pacific MORB field below the present-day Hf-Nd mantle array. Although initial Pb double spike 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb isotopic compositions for Site U1347 range from 18.13 to 18.46 and 37.71 to 37

Paleomagnetism of volcanic rocks from the Northeast of Brazil and the time of the opening of the South Atlantic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerreiro, S.D.C.

1983-01-01

In the first part of this paper palaeomagnetic and rock magnetism investigations were developed in volcanic samples from the Northeast of Brazil. The age of the samples spans the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. To accomplish this task four areas were studied and a total of 495 samples from 58 sites were analysed. A portable drilling machine with 2.5 em core diameter was used to collect the samples. The orientation of the samples were obtained by means of a magnetic compass, and a clinometer. The analysis of the magnetic minerals of these samples was done by thermomagnetic curves and by X-ray diffraction. In most cases the magnetic phase in the rocks is mainly titanomagnetite with poor titanium content. Maghemite and sometimes hematite, usually a product of weathering, did not obscure the initial thermoremanent magnetization of these rocks. The second part of this paper deals with the determination of the time of the opening of the South Atlantic ocean by means of palaeomagnetic data. In this paper, however, instead of using the polar wandering paths of the continents (the usual method) statistical tests were applied that give the probability that a certain configuration for the two continents be consistent or not with the palaeomagnetic data for a chosen period. (author)

Russian nuclear-powered submarine decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bukharin, O.; Handler, J.

1995-01-01

Russia is facing technical, economic and organizational difficulties in dismantling its oversized and unsafe fleet of nuclear powered submarines. The inability of Russia to deal effectively with the submarine decommissioning crisis increases the risk of environmental disaster and may hamper the implementation of the START I and START II treaties. This paper discusses the nuclear fleet support infrastructure, the problems of submarine decommissioning, and recommends international cooperation in addressing these problems

Temporal and geochemical evolution of Miocene volcanism in the Andean back-arc between 36°S and 38°S and U-series analyses of young volcanic centers in the arc and back-arc, Argentina

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dyhr, Charlotte Thorup

New 40Ar/39Ar, major and trace element, and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data for the c. 24-7 Ma volcanic rocks from the Andean back-arc (35°S – 38°S) in the Mendoza and Neuquén (Argentina) regions shed light on the Miocene evolution of the back-arc of the Southern Volcanic Zone. Incipient shallowing......-Sr-Pb isotopic compositions. The arc-like component that dominates the geochemistry of the Palaoco rocks is absent in both the Early Miocene and the Pliocene-Pleistocene in the same area. Young volcanic Provinces in the main arc, retro-arc and back-arc are further investigated by U-series analyses which confirm...... the fluid-enriched nature of arc-related rocks (U-excess are found in most rocks) and the more OIB-like nature of the Payún Matrú complex (Th-exsess is observed in all rocks). The fluid addition to the mantle source is modeled revealing timescales of 10 – 100 ka for the fluid enrichment. For the back...

Geochronology of the basement rocks, Amazonas Territory, Venezuela and the tectonic evolution of the western Guiana Shield

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaudette, H E; Olszewski, Jr, W J

1985-01-01

The Amazonas Territory of Venezuela is a large area of Precambrian basement rocks overlain in some locales by the supracrustal sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation. The basement rocks are medium to high grade gneisses with both igneous and sedimentary protoliths, plutonic rocks ranging in composition from granite to tonalite, and meta-volcanic rocks. Rb-Sr whole rock, and U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircons indicate a period of medium to high grade metamorphism and intrusion from 1860 to 1760 Ma. Post-tectonic plutonic activity continued to 1550 Ma. The volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation in Venezuela give an age of 1746 Ma comparable to volcanic rocks of the Roraima Formation in other parts of the Guiana Shield. The ages and distribution of the basement rocks suggest the presence of a tectonic zone, approximately coincident with the Venezuelan-Colombian border, representing an active orogenic boundary between distinct tectonic provinces. The rocks to the northeast of this zone are part of the Trans-Amazonian of the Guiana Shield, while to the southwest and in adjacent Brazil and Colombia, new younger continental crust has been developed and cratonized. We suggest a model of collision and subduction followed by a chan0140n tectonic style to extensional-vertical to produce the basement rocks of the western Guiana Shield in the Amazonas Territory. (Auth.). 20 refs.; 13 figs.; 2 tabs.

What the submarine is

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liuzzi, A

1972-03-01

A short review of submarine problems and design is presented. Included are trim and stability concepts; propulsion and steering gears (surface and submerged); batteries on a conventional (diesel) submarine; optical and electronic sensing equipments; and an outline of new hull designs and shipbuilding methods.

Low cost submarine robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ponlachart Chotikarn

2010-10-01

Full Text Available A submarine robot is a semi-autonomous submarine robot used mainly for marine environmental research. We aim todevelop a low cost, semi-autonomous submarine robot which is able to travel underwater. The robot’s structure was designedand patented using a novel idea of the diving system employing a volume adjustment mechanism to vary the robot’s density.A light weight, flexibility and small structure provided by PVC can be used to construct the torpedo-liked shape robot.Hydraulic seal and O-ring rubbers are used to prevent water leaking. This robot is controlled by a wired communicationsystem.

Late Triassic Porphyritic Intrusions And Associated Volcanic Rocks From The Shangri-La Region, Yidun Terrane, Eastern Tibetan Plateau: Implications For Adakitic Magmatism And Porphyry Copper Mineralization

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, B.; Zhou, M.; Li, J.; Yan, D.

2011-12-01

The Yidun terrane, located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, has been commonly considered to be a Triassic volcanic arc produced by subduction of the Ganzi-Litang oceanic lithosphere. The Yidun terrane is characterized by numerous arc-affinity granitic intrusions located along a 500-km-long, north-south-trending belt. Among these granitic bodies, several small porphyritic intrusions in the southern segment of the terrane (Shangri-La region) are associated with large porphyry copper deposits. These porphyritc intrusions are composed of diorite and quartz diorite, and spatially associated with andesites and dacites. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of the intrusions range from 230 to 215 Ma. The andesites and dacites are intercalated with slates and sandstones and have ages of around 220 Ma. The intrusive and volcanic rocks have SiO2 contents from 56.6 to 67.1 wt.%, Al2O3 from 14.2 to 17.4 wt.% and MgO from 1.9 to 4.2 wt.%. They show significant negative Nb-Ta anomalies on primitive mantle-normalized spidergrams. They have high La/Yb (13-49) ratios with no prominent Eu anomalies. All the rocks have high Sr (258-1980 ppm), and low Y (13-21 ppm) with high Sr/Y ratios (29-102). The geochemical features indicate that both the volcanic rocks and porphyritic intrusions were derived from adakitic magmas. They have similar initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7058 to 0.7077) and ɛNd (-1.88 to -4.93) values, but can be further divided into two groups: high silica (HSA) and low silica adakitic rocks (LSA). The HSA, representing an early stage of magmatism (230 to 215 Ma), were derived from oceanic slab melts with limited interaction with the overlying mantle wedge. At 215 Ma, more extensive interaction resulted in the formation of LSA. We propose that HSA were produced by flat subduction leading to melting of oceanic slab, whereas subsequent slab break-off caused the significant interaction between slab melts and the mantle wedge and thus the generation of the LSA. Compared with

What was the Paleogene latitude of the Lhasa terrane? A reassessment of the geochronology and paleomagnetism of Linzizong volcanic rocks (Linzhou basin, Tibet)

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Wentao; Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; Lippert, Peter C.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Dekkers, Mark J.; Waldrip, Ross; Ganerød, Morgan; Li, Xiaochun; Guo, Zhaojie; Kapp, Paul

2015-03-01

The Paleogene latitude of the Lhasa terrane (southern Tibet) can constrain the age of the onset of the India-Asia collision. Estimates for this latitude, however, vary from 5°N to 30°N, and thus, here, we reassess the geochronology and paleomagnetism of Paleogene volcanic rocks from the Linzizong Group in the Linzhou basin. The lower and upper parts of the section previously yielded particularly conflicting ages and paleolatitudes. We report consistent 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb zircon dates of 52 Ma for the upper Linzizong, and 40Ar/39Ar dates ( 51 Ma) from the lower Linzizong are significantly younger than U-Pb zircon dates (64-63 Ma), suggesting that the lower Linzizong was thermally and/or chemically reset. Paleomagnetic results from 24 sites in lower Linzizong confirm a low apparent paleolatitude of 5°N, compared to the upper part ( 20°N) and to underlying Cretaceous strata ( 20°N). Detailed rock magnetic analyses, end-member modeling of magnetic components, and petrography from the lower and upper Linzizong indicate widespread secondary hematite in the lower Linzizong, whereas hematite is rare in upper Linzizong. Volcanic rocks of the lower Linzizong have been hydrothermally chemically remagnetized, whereas the upper Linzizong retains a primary remanence. We suggest that remagnetization was induced by acquisition of chemical and thermoviscous remanent magnetizations such that the shallow inclinations are an artifact of a tilt correction applied to a secondary remanence in lower Linzizong. We estimate that the Paleogene latitude of Lhasa terrane was 20 ± 4°N, consistent with previous results suggesting that India-Asia collision likely took place by 52 Ma at 20°N.

The Chahnaly low sulfidation epithermal gold deposit, western Makran volcanic arc, southeastern Iran

Science.gov (United States)

Sholeh, Ali; Rastad, Ebrahim; Huston, David L.; Gemmell, J. Bruce; Taylor, Ryan D.

2016-01-01

The Chahnaly low-sulfidation epithermal Au deposit and nearby Au prospects are located northwest of the intermittently active Bazman stratovolcano on the western end of the Makran volcanic arc, which formed as the result of subduction of the remnant Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust beneath the Lut block. The arc hosts the Siah Jangal epithermal and Kharestan porphyry prospects, near Taftan volcano, as well as the Saindak Cu-Au porphyry deposit and world-class Reko Diq Cu-Au porphyry deposit, near Koh-i-Sultan volcano to the east-northeast in Pakistan. The host rocks for the Chahnaly deposit include early Miocene andesite and andesitic volcaniclastic rocks that are intruded by younger dacitic domes. Unaltered late Miocene dacitic ignimbrites overlie these rocks. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb zircon geochronology data yield ages between 21.8 and 9.9 Ma for the acidic-intermediate regional volcanism. The most recent volcanic activity of the Bazman stratovolcano involved extrusion of an olivine basalt during Pliocene to Quaternary times. Interpretation of geochemical data indicate that the volcanic rocks are synsubduction and calc-alkaline to subalkaline. The lack of a significant negative Eu anomaly, a listric-shaped rare earth element pattern, and moderate La/Yb ratios of host suites indicate a high water content of the source magma.

30 years in the life of an active submarine volcano: The evolution of Kick-`em-Jenny and implications for hazard in the southern Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, R. W.; Berry, C.; Henstock, T.; Collier, J.; Dondin, F. J. Y.; Latchman, J. L.; Robertson, R. E. A.

2017-12-01

Effective monitoring is an essential part of the process of identifying and mitigating volcanic hazards. In the submarine environment this task is made all the more difficult with observations typically limited to land-based seismic networks and infrequent shipboard surveys. Since announcing itself to the world in 1939, the Kick-`em-Jenny (KeJ) volcano, 8km off of the north coast of Grenada, has been the source of 13 episodes of T-phase recordings. These distinctive seismic signals, often coincident with heightened seismicity, have been interpreted as extrusive eruptions with a mean recurrence interval of 5-6 years. Visual confirmation of these episodes is rare and many would be unknown without the seismic evidence. By conducting new bathymetric surveys in 2016 and 2017 and reprocessing 3 further legacy data sets spanning more than 30 years and several such events we are able to present a clearer picture of the development of KeJ through time. The final bathymetric grids produced have a cell size of just 5m and, for the more modern surveys, a vertical accuracy on the order of 1m. These grids easily demonstrate the correlation between T-phase episodes and morphological changes at the volcano's edifice. In the time-period of observation we document a clear construction deficit at KeJ with only 5.75x106m3 of material added through constructive volcanism, while 5 times this amount is lost through landslides and volcanic dome collapse. The peak depth of KeJ now sits at 196m b.s.l., the lowest recorded since 1966. Limited recent magma production means that KeJ may be susceptible to larger eruptions with longer repeat times than those covered in our study. These larger eruptions would pose a more significant local hazard than the small scale volcanic events observed in recent decades. We conclude that T-phase recordings are likely to have a more varied origin than previously discussed, and are unlikely to be solely the result of extrusive submarine eruptions. This

Analysis of SSN 688 Class Submarine Maintenance Delays

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

Simplified Notional Submarine FRP (Independent Deployer) ..................11  Figure 8.  Evolution of Los Angeles Class Submarine Notional...Number TFP Technical Foundation Paper URO Unrestricted Operations xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my lead advisor, Professor Nick Dew...only on Los Angeles (SSN 688)-class submarines. Being the higher quantity and older generation submarine hull type, the Los Angeles class submarine

Fluorine geochemistry in volcanic rock series

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stecher, Ole

1998-01-01

A new analytical procedure has been established in order to determine low fluorine concentrations (30–100 ppm F) in igneous rocks, and the method has also proven successful for higher concentrations (100–4000 ppm F). Fluorine has been measured in a series of olivine tholeiites from the Reykjanes ...

Volcanic settings and their reservoir potential: An outcrop analog study on the Miocene Tepoztlán Formation, Central Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Lenhardt, Nils; Götz, Annette E.

2011-07-01

The reservoir potential of volcanic and associated sedimentary rocks is less documented in regard to groundwater resources, and oil and gas storage compared to siliciclastic and carbonate systems. Outcrop analog studies within a volcanic setting enable to identify spatio-temporal architectural elements and geometric features of different rock units and their petrophysical properties such as porosity and permeability, which are important information for reservoir characterization. Despite the wide distribution of volcanic rocks in Mexico, their reservoir potential has been little studied in the past. In the Valley of Mexico, situated 4000 m above the Neogene volcanic rocks, groundwater is a matter of major importance as more than 20 million people and 42% of the industrial capacity of the Mexican nation depend on it for most of their water supply. Here, we present porosity and permeability data of 108 rock samples representing five different lithofacies types of the Miocene Tepoztlán Formation. This 800 m thick formation mainly consists of pyroclastic rocks, mass flow and fluvial deposits and is part of the southern Transmexican Volcanic Belt, cropping out south of the Valley of Mexico and within the two states of Morelos and Mexico State. Porosities range from 1.4% to 56.7%; average porosity is 24.8%. Generally, permeabilities are low to median (0.2-933.3 mD) with an average permeability of 88.5 mD. The lavas are characterized by the highest porosity values followed by tuffs, conglomerates, sandstones and tuffaceous breccias. On the contrary, the highest permeabilities can be found in the conglomerates, followed by tuffs, tuffaceous breccias, sandstones and lavas. The knowledge of these petrophysical rock properties provides important information on the reservoir potential of volcanic settings to be integrated to 3D subsurface models.

Volcanic-plutonic connections and metal fertility of highly evolved magma systems: A case study from the Herberton Sn-W-Mo Mineral Field, Queensland, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yanbo; Spandler, Carl; Chang, Zhaoshan; Clarke, Gavin

2018-03-01

Understanding the connection between the highly evolved intrusive and extrusive systems is essential to explore the evolution of high silicic magma systems, which plays an important role in discussions of planetary differentiation, the growth of continents, crustal evolution, and the formation of highly evolved magma associated Sn-W-Mo mineral systems. To discern differences between "fertile" and "non-fertile" igneous rocks associated with Sn-W-Mo mineralization and reveal the genetic links between coeval intrusive and extrusive rocks, we integrate whole rock geochemistry, geochronology and Hf isotope signatures of igneous zircons from contemporaneous plutonic and volcanic rocks from the world-class Herberton Mineral Field of Queensland, Australia. The 310-300 Ma intrusive rocks and associated intra-plutonic W-Mo mineralization formed from relatively oxidized magmas after moderate degrees of crystal fractionation. The geochemical and isotopic features of the coeval volcanic succession are best reconciled utilizing the widely-accepted volcanic-plutonic connection model, whereby the volcanic rocks represent fractionated derivatives of the intrusive rocks. Older intrusions emplaced at 335-315 Ma formed from relatively low fO2 magmas that fractionated extensively to produce highly evolved granites that host Sn mineralization. Coeval volcanic rocks of this suite are compositionally less evolved than the intrusive rocks, thereby requiring a different model to link these plutonic-volcanic sequences. In this case, we propose that the most fractionated magmas were not lost to volcanism, but instead were effectively retained at the plutonic level, which allowed further localized build-up of volatiles and lithophile metals in the plutonic environment. This disconnection to the volcanism and degassing may be a crucial step for forming granite-hosted Sn mineralization. The transition between these two igneous regimes in Herberton region over a ∼30 m.y. period is attributed to

Growth and mass wasting of volcanic centers in the northern South Sandwich arc, South Atlantic, revealed by new multibeam mapping

OpenAIRE

Leat, Philip T.; Tate, Alex J.; Tappin, David R.; Day, Simon J.; Owen, Matthew J.

2010-01-01

New multibeam (swath) bathymetric sonar data acquired using an EM120 system on the RRS James Clark Ross, supplemented by sub-bottom profiling, reveals the underwater morphology of a not, vert, similar 12,000 km2 area in the northern part of the mainly submarine South Sandwich volcanic arc. The new data extend between 55° 45′S and 57° 20′S and include Protector Shoal and the areas around Zavodovski, Visokoi and the Candlemas islands groups. Each of these areas is a discrete volcanic center. T...

Deployment of a seismic array for volcano monitoring during the ongoing submarine eruption at El Hierro, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Abella, R.; Almendros, J.; Carmona, E.; Martin, R.

2012-04-01

On 17 July 2011 there was an important increase of the seismic activity at El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain). This increase was detected by the Volcano Monitoring Network (Spanish national seismic network) run by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN). As a consequence, the IGN immediately deployed a dense, complete monitoring network that included seismometers, GPS stations, geochemical equipment, magnetometers, and gravity meters. During the first three months of activity, the seismic network recorded over ten thousand volcano-tectonic earthquakes, with a maximum magnitude of 4.6. On 10 October 2011 an intense volcanic tremor started. It was a monochromatic signal, with variable amplitude and frequency content centered at about 1-2 Hz. The tremor onset was correlated with the initial stages of the submarine eruption that occurred from a vent located south of El Hierro island, near the village of La Restinga. At that point the IGN, in collaboration with the Instituto Andaluz de Geofísica, deployed a seismic array intended for volcanic tremor monitoring and analysis. The seismic array is located about 7 km NW of the submarine vent. It has a 12-channel, 24-bit data acquisition system sampling each channel at 100 sps. The array is composed by 1 three-component and 9 vertical-component seismometers, distributed in a flat area with an aperture of 360 m. The data provided by the seismic array are going to be processed using two different approaches: (1) near-real-time, to produce information that can be useful in the management of the volcanic crisis; and (2) detailed investigations, to study the volcanic tremor characteristics and relate them to the eruption dynamics. At this stage we are mostly dedicated to produce fast, near-real-time estimates. Preliminary results have been obtained using the maximum average cross-correlation method. They indicate that the tremor wavefronts are highly coherent among array stations and propagate across the seismic array with an

Geological development and uranium and thorium evolutions in volcanic basin No.460

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Dean.

1989-01-01

On the basis of summarizing the geological features and the developmental history of tectono-magmatic activity, the uranium and thorium evolutional rules of rocks in different times are studied. It is suggested that the uranium and thorium increments caused by potassic migmatization of late Archean basement rocks in this area is the material base which affected the subsequent evolution of the cover of volcanic rocks and uranium mineralization. The Upper Jurassic acid volcanic cover belonging to crustal remelting origin constituted the favorable stratigraphic background for uranium mineralization in this area due to its wide distribution, large thickness, various rock associations and lithological sequences, as well as high content of uranium and thorium. During the late Yanshanian stage acid subvolanic rocks or small intrusions with high uranium intruded along the regional fractures are the decisive factors for the emplacement of uranium mineralization in this area, which othen became the favorable wall rocks for preserving ores itself. During the late stage the hydrothermal uranium mineralization was the main geological process from which uranium and thorium in stratigraphy and terrain were finally separated

The Volcanism Ontology (VO): a model of the volcanic system

Science.gov (United States)

Myer, J.; Babaie, H. A.

2017-12-01

We have modeled a part of the complex material and process entities and properties of the volcanic system in the Volcanism Ontology (VO) applying several top-level ontologies such as Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), SWEET, and Ontology of Physics for Biology (OPB) within a single framework. The continuant concepts in BFO describe features with instances that persist as wholes through time and have qualities (attributes) that may change (e.g., state, composition, and location). In VO, the continuants include lava, volcanic rock, and volcano. The occurrent concepts in BFO include processes, their temporal boundaries, and the spatio-temporal regions within which they occur. In VO, these include eruption (process), the onset of pyroclastic flow (temporal boundary), and the space and time span of the crystallization of lava in a lava tube (spatio-temporal region). These processes can be of physical (e.g., debris flow, crystallization, injection), atmospheric (e.g., vapor emission, ash particles blocking solar radiation), hydrological (e.g., diffusion of water vapor, hot spring), thermal (e.g., cooling of lava) and other types. The properties (predicates) relate continuants to other continuants, occurrents to continuants, and occurrents to occurrents. The ontology also models other concepts such as laboratory and field procedures by volcanologists, sampling by sensors, and the type of instruments applied in monitoring volcanic activity. When deployed on the web, VO will be used to explicitly and formally annotate data and information collected by volcanologists based on domain knowledge. This will enable the integration of global volcanic data and improve the interoperability of software that deal with such data.

Mineral and rock chemistry of Mata da Corda Kamafugitic Rocks (Minas Gerais State, Brazil)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albuquerque Sgarbi, Patricia B. de; Valenca, Joel G.

1995-01-01

The volcanic rocks of the Mata da Corda Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are mafic potassic to ultra potassic rocks of kamafugitic affinity containing essentially clinopyroxenes, perovskite, magnetite and occasionally olivine, phlogopite, melilite pseudomorphs and apatite. The felsic phases are kalsilite and/or leucite pseudomorphs. The rocks are classified as mafitites, leucitites and kalsilitites. The analysis of the available data of the rocks studied, based on the relevant aspects of the main proposals for the classification of alkaline mafic to ultramafic potassic rocks leads to the conclusion that Sahama's (1974) proposal to divide potassium rich alkaline rocks in two large families is the one to which the Mata da Corda rocks adapt best. According to this and the data in the literature on the mineralogy and mineral and rock chemistries of the other similar occurrences, these rocks may be interpreted as alkaline potassic to ultra potassic rocks of hamafugitic affinity. 11 figs., 5 tabs

Stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, P.F.; O'Neil, J.R.

1987-01-01

Measurements of stable isotope compositions and water contents of boninite series volcanic rocks from the island of Chichi-jima, Bonin Islands, Japan, confirm that a large amount (1.6-2.4 wt.%) of primary water was present in these unusual magmas. An enrichment of 0.6??? in 18O during differentiation is explained by crystallization of 18O-depleted mafic phases. Silicic glasses have elevated ??18O values and relatively low ??D values indicating that they were modified by low-temperature alteration and hydration processes. Mafic glasses, on the other hand, have for the most part retained their primary isotopic signatures since Eocene time. Primary ??D values of -53 for boninite glasses are higher than those of MORB and suggest that the water was derived from subducted oceanic lithosphere. ?? 1987.

Compilation of modal analyses of volcanic rocks from the Nevada Test Site area, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, W.R.

1990-01-01

Volcanic rock samples collected from the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, between 1960 and 1985 were analyzed by thin section to obtain petrographic mode data. In order to provide rapid accessibility to the entire database, all data from the cards were entered into a computerized database. This computer format will enable workers involved in stratigraphic studies in the Nevada Test Site area and other locations in southern Nevada to perform independent analyses of the data. The data were compiled from the mode cards into two separate computer files. The first file consists of data collected from core samples taken from drill holes in the Yucca Mountain area. The second group of samples were collected from measured sections and surface mapping traverses in the Nevada Test Site area. Each data file is composed of computer printouts of tables with mode data from thin section point counts, comments on additional data, and location data. Tremendous care was taken in transferring the data from the cards to computer, in order to preserve the original information and interpretations provided by the analyzer. In addition to the data files above, a file is included that consists of Nevada Test Site petrographic data published in other US Geological Survey and Los Alamos National Laboratory reports. These data are presented to supply the user with an essentially complete modal database of samples from the volcanic stratigraphic section in the Nevada Test Site area. 18 refs., 4 figs

Gold-silver mining districts, alteration zones, and paleolandforms in the Miocene Bodie Hills Volcanic Field, California and Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Vikre, Peter G.; John, David A.; du Bray, Edward A.; Fleck, Robert J.

2015-09-25

The Bodie Hills is a ~40 by ~30 kilometer volcanic field that straddles the California-Nevada state boundary between Mono Lake and the East Walker River. Three precious metal mining districts and nine alteration zones are delineated in Tertiary-Quaternary volcanic and Mesozoic granitic and metamorphic rocks that comprise the volcanic field. Cumulative production from the mining districts, Bodie, Aurora, and Masonic, is 3.4 million ounces of gold and 28 million ounces of silver. Small amounts of mercury were produced from the Potato Peak, Paramount-Bald Peak, and Cinnabar Canyon-US 395 alteration zones; a native sulfur resource in the Cinnabar Canyon-US 395 alteration zone has been identified by drilling. There are no known mineral resources in the other six alteration zones, Red Wash-East Walker River, East Brawley Peak, Sawtooth Ridge, Aurora Canyon, Four Corners, and Spring Peak. The mining districts and alteration zones formed between 13.4 and 8.1 Ma in predominantly ~15–9 Ma volcanic rocks of the Bodie Hills volcanic field. Ages of hydrothermal minerals in the districts and zones are the same as, or somewhat younger than, the ages of volcanic host rocks.

Payenia volcanic province, southern Mendoza, Argentina

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søager, Nina; Holm, Paul Martin; Llambias, Eduardo Jorge

2013-01-01

The Pleistocene to Holocene Payenia volcanic province is a backarc region of 60,000 km2 in Mendoza, Argentina, which is dominated by transitional to alkaline basalts and trachybasalts. We present major and trace element compositions of 139 rocks from this area of which the majority are basaltic...

Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism in the Darfur volcanic province: mantle source, phonolite-trachyte genesis and relation to other volcanic provinces in NE Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Lucassen, Friedrich; Pudlo, Dieter; Franz, Gerhard; Romer, Rolf L.; Dulski, Peter

2013-01-01

Chemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of Late Cenozoic to Quaternary small-volume phonolite, trachyte and related mafic rocks from the Darfur volcanic province/NW-Sudan have been investigated. Isotope signatures indicate variable but minor crustal contributions. Some phonolitic and trachytic rocks show the same isotopic composition as their primitive mantle-derived parents, and no crustal contributions are visible in the trace element patterns of these samples. The magmatic evolution of the evolved rocks is dominated by crystal fractionation. The Si-undersaturated strongly alkaline phonolite and the Si-saturated mildly alkaline trachyte can be modelled by fractionation of basanite and basalt, respectively. The suite of basanite-basalt-phonolite-trachyte with characteristic isotope signatures from the Darfur volcanic province fits the compositional features of other Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism scattered in North and Central Africa (e.g., Tibesti, Maghreb, Cameroon line), which evolved on a lithosphere that was reworked or formed during the Neoproterozoic.

Constraints on the source of Cu in a submarine magmatic-hydrothermal system, Brothers volcano, Kermadec island arc

Science.gov (United States)

Keith, Manuel; Haase, Karsten M.; Klemd, Reiner; Smith, Daniel J.; Schwarz-Schampera, Ulrich; Bach, Wolfgang

2018-05-01

Most magmatic-hydrothermal Cu deposits are genetically linked to arc magmas. However, most continental or oceanic arc magmas are barren, and hence new methods have to be developed to distinguish between barren and mineralised arc systems. Source composition, melting conditions, the timing of S saturation and an initial chalcophile element-enrichment represent important parameters that control the potential of a subduction setting to host an economically valuable deposit. Brothers volcano in the Kermadec island arc is one of the best-studied examples of arc-related submarine magmatic-hydrothermal activity. This study, for the first time, compares the chemical and mineralogical composition of the Brothers seafloor massive sulphides and the associated dacitic to rhyolitic lavas that host the hydrothermal system. Incompatible trace element ratios, such as La/Sm and Ce/Pb, indicate that the basaltic melts from L'Esperance volcano may represent a parental analogue to the more evolved Brothers lavas. Copper-rich magmatic sulphides (Cu > 2 wt%) identified in fresh volcanic glass and phenocryst phases, such as clinopyroxene, plagioclase and Fe-Ti oxide suggest that the surrounding lavas that host the Brothers hydrothermal system represent a potential Cu source for the sulphide ores at the seafloor. Thermodynamic calculations reveal that the Brothers melts reached volatile saturation during their evolution. Melt inclusion data and the occurrence of sulphides along vesicle margins indicate that an exsolving volatile phase extracted Cu from the silicate melt and probably contributed it to the overlying hydrothermal system. Hence, the formation of the Cu-rich seafloor massive sulphides (up to 35.6 wt%) is probably due to the contribution of Cu from a bimodal source including wall rock leaching and magmatic degassing, in a mineralisation style that is hybrid between Cyprus-type volcanic-hosted massive sulphide and subaerial epithermal-porphyry deposits.

Adakite-like volcanism of Ecuador: lower crust magmatic evolution and recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Chiaradia, Massimo; Müntener, Othmar; Beate, Bernardo; Fontignie, Denis

2009-11-01

In the Northern Andes of Ecuador, a broad Quaternary volcanic arc with significant across-arc geochemical changes sits upon continental crust consisting of accreted oceanic and continental terranes. Quaternary volcanic centers occur, from west to east, along the Western Cordillera (frontal arc), in the Inter-Andean Depression and along the Eastern Cordillera (main arc), and in the Sub-Andean Zone (back-arc). The adakite-like signatures of the frontal and main arc volcanoes have been interpreted either as the result of slab melting plus subsequent slab melt-mantle interactions or of lower crustal melting, fractional crystallization, and assimilation processes. In this paper, we present petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb) data on dominantly andesitic to dacitic volcanic rocks as well as crustal xenolith and cumulate samples from five volcanic centers (Pululagua, Pichincha, Ilalo, Chacana, Sumaco) forming a NW-SE transect at about 0° latitude and encompassing the frontal (Pululagua, Pichincha), main (Ilalo, Chacana), and back-arc (Sumaco) chains. All rocks display typical subduction-related geochemical signatures, such as Nb and Ta negative anomalies and LILE enrichment. They show a relative depletion of fluid-mobile elements and a general increase in incompatible elements from the front to the back-arc suggesting derivation from progressively lower degrees of partial melting of the mantle wedge induced by decreasing amounts of fluids released from the slab. We observe widespread petrographic evidence of interaction of primary melts with mafic xenoliths as well as with clinopyroxene- and/or amphibole-bearing cumulates and of magma mixing at all frontal and main arc volcanic centers. Within each volcanic center, rocks display correlations between evolution indices and radiogenic isotopes, although absolute variations of radiogenic isotopes are small and their values are overall rather primitive (e.g., ɛNd = +1.5 to +6, 87Sr/86Sr = 0

Geochronological 40Ar/39Ar data on the submarine fault-scarps in the Sardinia channel (western mediterranean)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouillin, J.P.; Tricart, P.; Mascle, G.; Monie, P.; Rolfo, F.; Torelli, L.

1999-01-01

Granite and gneiss have been sampled on the submarine fault scarps of the Sardinia Channel and have been dated using the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar method. The majority of rocks partially preserve Hercynian ages. Some of them display Lower Cretaceous ages. In addition, Upper Eocene-Oligocene argon resetting is recorded only in rocks from the southeast sector of the Channel. We thus propose that the basement of the Sardinia Channel occupied a shallow position within the stack of the Alpine tectonic units, behind the more deformed front of the internal zones of the Maghrebide Chain. (authors)

The volcanic and geochemical development of São Nicolau, Cape Verde Islands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duprat, Helene Inga; Holm, Paul Martin; Sherson, Jacob Friis

2007-01-01

We present 34 new age results from 40 Ar/39 Ar incremental heating analyses of groundmass separates from volcanic rocks from São Nicolau, Cape Verde. Combining the age results with field observations, we show that the volcanic activity that formed the island occurred in four separate stages: 1: >6...

Diffuse degassing He/CO2 ratio before and during the 2011-12 El Hierro submarine eruption, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Padrón, Eleazar; Hernández, Pedro A.; Melián, Gladys V.; Barrancos, José; Padilla, Germán; Pérez, Nemesio M.; Dionis, Samara; Rodríguez, Fátima; Asensio-Ramos, María; Calvo, David

2015-04-01

El Hierro Island (278 km2) is the youngest and the SW-most of the Canary Islands. On July 16, 2011, a seismic-volcanic crisis started with the occurrence of more than 11,900 seismic events and significant deformation along the island, culminating with the eruption onset in October 12. Since at El Hierro Islands there are not any surface geothermal manifestation (fumaroles, etc), we have focused our studies on soil degassing surveys. Between July 2011 to March 2012, seventeen diffuse CO2 and He emissions soil gas surveys were undertaken at El Hierro volcanic system (600 observation sites) with the aim to investigate the relationship between their temporal variations and the volcanic activity (Padrón et al., 2013; Melián et al., 2014). Based on the diffuse He/CO2 emission ratio, a sharp increase before the eruption onset was observed, reaching the maximum value on September 26 (6.8×10-5), sixteen days before the occurrence of the eruption. This increase coincided with an increase in seismic energy release during the volcanic unrest and occurred together with an increase on the 3He/4He isotopic ratio in groundwaters from a well in El Hierro Island (Padrón et al., 2013; from 2-3 RA to 7.2 RA where RA = 3He/4He ratio in air), one month prior to the eruption onset. Early degassing of new gas-rich magma batch at depth could explain the observed increase on the He/CO2 ratio, causing a preferential partitioning of CO2 in the gas phase with respect to the He, due to the lower solubility of CO2 than that of He in basaltic magmas. During the eruptive period (October 2011-March 2012) the prevalence of a magmatic CO2-dominated component is evident, as indicated by the generally lower He/CO2 ratios and high 3He/4He values (Padrón et al., 2013). The onset of the submarine eruption might have produced a sudden release of volcanic gases, and consequently, a decrease in the volcanic gas pressure of the magma bodies moving beneath the island, reflected by a drastic decrease in

Geophysical evidence for widespread reversely magnetised pyroclastics in the western Taupo Volcanic Zone (New Zealand)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soengkono, S.; Hochstein, M.P.; Smith, I.E.M.; Itaya, T.

1992-01-01

Low-altitude aeromagnetic data show that negative residual anomalies are widespread over the western Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Paleomagnetic study of eight rhyolitic ignimbrite units and two lava flows which are exposed in this area, together with new K-Ar dates of four of the ignimbrite units, indicate that the two lava units and seven of the ignimbrite units were erupted during the Matuyama geomagnetic epoch (>0.73 Ma B.P.) and suggest that rhyolitic volcanism in the western Taupo Volcanic Zone began as early as 1.6 Ma B.P. These results provide the basis for an interpretation of our aeromagnetic data which confirms the hypothesis that the magnetic anomalies observed in the western Taupo Volcanic Zone are caused by widespread, thick, reversely magnetised pyroclastic and lava flows. Magnetic modelling also allows thickness estimates of the younger, normally magnetised cover rocks which reach a maximum thickness of the order of 0.5 km in the Mangakino area. The magnetic structure of these volcanic rocks defines approximately the lateral extent of the Mangakino Volcanic Centre. (author). 41 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

Geochemical Signatures of Potassic to Sodic Adang Volcanics, Western Sulawesi: Implications for Their Tectonic Setting and Origin

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Godang Shaban

2016-11-01

Full Text Available DOI:10.17014/ijog.3.3.195-214The Adang Volcanics represent a series of (ultra potassic to sodic lavas and tuffaceous rocks of predominantly trachytic composition, which forms the part of a sequence of Late Cenozoic high-K volcanic and associated intrusive rocks occurring extensively throughout Western Sulawesi. The tectonic setting and origin of these high-K rocks have been the subject of considerable debates. The Adang Volcanics have mafic to mafitic-intermediate characteristics (SiO2: 46 - 56 wt% and a wide range of high alkaline contents (K2O: 0.80 - 9.08 %; Na2O: 0.90 - 7.21 % with the Total Alkali of 6.67 - 12.60 %. Al2O3 values are relatively low (10.63 - 13.21 % and TiO2 values relatively high (1.27 - 1.91 %. Zr and REE concentrations are also relatively high (Zr: 1154 - 2340 ppm; Total REE (TREY = TRE: 899.20 - 1256.50 ppm; TRExOy: 1079.76 - 1507.97 ppm, with an average Zr/TRE ratio of ~ 1.39. The major rock forming minerals are leucite/pseudoleucite, diopside/aegirine, and high temperature phlogopite. Geochemical plots (major oxides and trace elements using various diagrams suggest the Adang Volcanics formed in a postsubduction, within-plate continental extension/initial rift tectonic setting. It is further suggested magma was generated by minor (< 0.1 % partial melting of depleted MORB mantle material (garnet-lherzolite with the silicate melt having undergone strong metasomatism. Melt enrichment is reflected in the alkaline nature of the rocks and geochemical signatures such as Nb/Zr > 0.0627 and (Hf/SmPM > 1.23. A comparison with the Vulsini ultrapotassic volcanics from the Roman Province in Italy shows both similarities (spidergram pattern indicating affinity with Group III ultrapotassics volcanics and differences (nature of mantle metasomatism.

The Teles Pires volcanic province: A paleogeoproterozoic silicic-dominated large igneous province in southwest Amazon craton and tectonic implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leite, Jayme Alfredo Dexheimer; Saes, Gerson Souza; Macambira, Moacir Jose Buenano

2001-01-01

Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) are important features of the Earth history especially recognized during Paleo to Mezosoic times when they are related to the break up of supercontinents (Coffin and Eldhom, 1994). These provinces occur in several different tectonic settings such as volcanic passive margins, submarine ridges and continental and oceanic plateaux. Mafic-dominanted provinces are the most well known among the LIPs and the best examples are the Karoo, Kerguelem and Ontong-Java. LIPs including an important silicic component have been described in some basaltic provinces of southern Africa (Milner et al. 1992). More recently, silicic-dominated LIPs have been recognized in eastern Australia (Bryan et al., 2000), in southern South America (Pankhurst et al. 1998) and in Antartica Penninsula (Riley and Leat, 1999). The common characteristics of this kind of LIP include: 1) large volume of silicic rocks with dominance of ignimbrites, 2) active over 40 to 50 m.y.; and 3) spatially and temporally associated with plate break up. In this paper we present the main geologic and geochronologic characteristics of the Teles Pires volcanic province from southwest Amazon Craton, which allow its classification as a Paleoprotorozoic silicic-dominated LIP. Geologic implications of this suggestion includes the existence of a large cratonic plate as old as 1.81Ga for the Amazon Craton, therefore the proposed 1.85-1.55 Ga magmatic arc of Rio Negro-Juruena Province should be reviewed (au)

A decade of volcanic construction and destruction at the summit of NW Rota-1 seamount: 2004-2014

Science.gov (United States)

Schnur, Susan R.; Chadwick, William W.; Embley, Robert W.; Ferrini, Vicki L.; de Ronde, Cornel E. J.; Cashman, Katharine V.; Deardorff, Nicholas D.; Merle, Susan G.; Dziak, Robert P.; Haxel, Joe H.; Matsumoto, Haru

2017-03-01

Arc volcanoes are important to our understanding of submarine volcanism because at some sites frequent eruptions cause them to grow and collapse on human timescales. This makes it possible to document volcanic processes. Active submarine eruptions have been observed at the summit of NW Rota-1 in the Mariana Arc. We use remotely operated vehicle videography and repeat high-resolution bathymetric surveys to construct geologic maps of the summit of NW Rota-1 in 2009 and 2010 and relate them to the geologic evolution of the summit area over a 10 year period (2004-2014). We find that 2009 and 2010 were characterized by different eruptive styles, which affected the type and distribution of eruptive deposits at the summit. Year 2009 was characterized by ultraslow extrusion and autobrecciation of lava at a single eruptive vent, producing a large cone of blocky lava debris. In 2010, higher-energy explosive eruptions occurred at multiple closely spaced vents, producing a thin blanket of pebble-sized tephra overlying lava flow outcrops. A landslide that occurred between 2009 and 2010 had a major effect on lithofacies distribution by removing the debris cone and other unconsolidated deposits, revealing steep massive flow cliffs. This relatively rapid alternation between construction and destruction forms one end of a seamount growth and mass wasting spectrum. Intraplate seamounts, which tend to grow larger than arc volcanoes, experience collapse events that are orders of magnitude larger and much less frequent than those occurring at subduction zone settings. Our results highlight the interrelated cyclicity of eruptive activity and mass wasting at submarine arc volcanoes.

High-Resolution Topographic Analyses of Mounds in Southern Acidalia Planitia, Mars: Implications for Possible Mud Volcanism in Submarine and Subaerial Environments

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Ryodo Hemmi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available A northern ocean of Mars is still debated and, if it existed, it may have accompanied valley networks and/or outflow channels, which may have led to the emplacement of a large amount of water to the northern lowlands during the Noachian and/or Hesperian times. However, it is unclear how and under what conditions (submarine or subaerial geologic features such as mounds and giant polygons formed in the northern lowlands. The densely-distributed mounds in Chryse and Acidalia Planitia, >1000 km-wide basins of the northern plains, were suggested to be ancient mud volcanoes formed in an aqueous setting, which is controversial (i.e., mud vs. igneous and submarine vs. subaerial. However, these mounds have not been quantitatively well characterized, particularly with respect to their detailed topography. Here we generated forty digital elevation models (DEMs with resolution of up to 1 m/pixel from High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE stereo image pairs, and we accurately measured the morphometric parameters of ~1300 mounds within the southern part of the Acidalia basin. Their heights and diameters resulted in good accordance with those of mud and igneous volcanoes in submarine/subaerial settings on Earth. Maximum depths of their source reservoirs vary from ~30 to ~450 m for a subaqueous setting and from ~110 to ~860 m for a subaerial setting, both of which are consistent with fluid expulsion from the ~100–4500 m-thick flood deposits (Vastitas Borealis Formation, VBF. On the basis of the morphometric values, we estimated rheological properties of materials forming the mounds and found them consistent with a mud flow origin, which does not rule out an igneous origin. The conditions of possible submarine mud or igneous volcanoes may have harbored less hazardous environments for past life on Mars than those on an ocean-free surface.

Geologic setting of the St. Catherine basement rocks, Sinai, Egypt

OpenAIRE

Abdel Maksoud, M. A. [محمد علي عبدالمقصود; Khalek, M. L. Abdel; Oweiss, K. A.

1993-01-01

St. Catherine area, some 900 km in size, is dominated by basement rocks Encompassing old continental gneisses, metasediments, greenstone belt, calc-alkaline granites (G-II-granites), rift-related volcanics (RV), and anorogenic within plate granites (G-III-granites). The greenstone belt is composed of subduction-related volcanics (SV) intercalated with metasediments. These volcanics split into older group (moderately metamorphosed) and younger group (slightly metamorphosed). The calc-alkaline ...

Evolution of submarine eruptive activity during the 2011-2012 El Hierro event as documented by hydroacoustic images and remotely operated vehicle observations

Science.gov (United States)

Somoza, L.; González, F. J.; Barker, S. J.; Madureira, P.; Medialdea, T.; de Ignacio, C.; Lourenço, N.; León, R.; Vázquez, J. T.; Palomino, D.

2017-08-01

Submarine volcanic eruptions are frequent and important events, yet they are rarely observed. Here we relate bathymetric and hydroacoustic images from the 2011 to 2012 El Hierro eruption with surface observations and deposits imaged and sampled by ROV. As a result of the shallow submarine eruption, a new volcano named Tagoro grew from 375 to 89 m depth. The eruption consisted of two main phases of edifice construction intercalated with collapse events. Hydroacoustic images show that the eruptions ranged from explosive to effusive with variable plume types and resulting deposits, even over short time intervals. At the base of the edifice, ROV observations show large accumulations of lava balloons changing in size and type downslope, coinciding with the area where floating lava balloon fallout was observed. Peaks in eruption intensity during explosive phases generated vigorous bubbling at the surface, extensive ash, vesicular lapilli and formed high-density currents, which together with periods of edifice gravitational collapse, produced extensive deep volcaniclastic aprons. Secondary cones developed in the last stages and show evidence for effusive activity with lava ponds and lava flows that cover deposits of stacked lava balloons. Chaotic masses of heterometric boulders around the summit of the principal cone are related to progressive sealing of the vent with decreasing or variable magma supply. Hornitos represent the final eruptive activity with hydrothermal alteration and bacterial mats at the summit. Our study documents the distinct evolution of a submarine volcano and highlights the range of deposit types that may form and be rapidly destroyed in such eruptions.Plain Language SummaryToday and through most of geological history, the greatest number and volume of volcanic eruptions on Earth have occurred underwater. However, in comparison to subaerial eruption, little is known about submarine eruptive processes as they are dangerous to cruise it over

Application of Clinopyroxene Chemistry to Interpret the Physical Conditions of Ascending Magma, a Case Study of Eocene Volcanic Rocks in the Ghohrud Area (North of Isfahan

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Mohammad Sayari

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction Volcanic rocks with a porphyritic texture have experienced two crystallization stages. The first is slow, resulting in phenocrysts, and the second, which took place at, or near the surface, or during intrusion into a cooler body of rock, result in a groundmass of glass, or fine crystals. The pressure and temperature history of a magma during crystallization is recorded in the chemical composition of the phenocrysts during both stages. These phenocrysts provide valuable data about the physicochemical conditions of the parent magma during the process of crystallization. The composition of clinopyroxene (cpx reflects not only the chemical condition and therefore the magmatic series, but also the physical conditions, i.e., temperature and pressure of a magma at the time when clinopyroxene crystallized. The Ghohrud area lies in the middle part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc , which is part of a much larger magmatic province extending in a vast region of convergence between Arabia and Eurasia north of the Zagros-Bitlis suture zone (Dilek et al., 2010. In the Ghohrud area, north of Isfahan, exposed Eocene volcanic rocks belong to the first pulse of Cenozoic volcanism of Iran (Sayari, 2015, ranging in composition from andesitic basalt to basalt. The basaltic rocks of the Ghohrud area are composed mainly of plagioclase phenocrysts surrounded by smaller crystals of clinopyroxene in a groundmass of microlites, glass and opaques. In this study, the clinopyroxene and plagioclase of these rocks were analyzed in order to estimate the physicochemical conditions of the parent magmas. Results Clinopyroxene and plagioclase phenocrysts of nineteen samples were analyzed with the electron microprobe. The chemical compositions of the clinopyroxenes were used to estimate both the chemical evolution and temperature and pressure conditions of the magmas during crystallization, using SCG, a specialized software for clinopyroxene thermobarometry (Sayari

Volcanic spreading forcing and feedback in geothermal reservoir development, Amiata Volcano, Italia

Science.gov (United States)

Borgia, Andrea; Mazzoldi, Alberto; Brunori, Carlo Alberto; Allocca, Carmine; Delcroix, Carlo; Micheli, Luigi; Vercellino, Alberto; Grieco, Giovanni

2014-09-01

We made a stratigraphic, structural and morphologic study of the Amiata Volcano in Italy. We find that the edifice is dissected by intersecting grabens that accommodate the collapse of the higher sectors of the volcano. In turn, a number of compressive structures and diapirs exist around the margin of the volcano. These structures create an angular drainage pattern, with stream damming and captures, and a set of lakes within and around the volcano. We interpret these structures as the result of volcanic spreading of Amiata on its weak substratum, formed by the late Triassic evaporites (Burano Anhydrites) and the Middle-Jurassic to Early-Cretaceous clayey chaotic complexes (Ligurian Complex). Regional doming created a slope in the basement facilitating the outward flow and spreading of the ductile layers forced by the volcanic load. We model the dynamics of spreading with a scaled lubrication approximation of the Navier Stokes equations, and numerically study a set of solutions. In the model we include simple functions for volcanic deposition and surface erosion that change the topography over time. Scaling indicates that spreading at Amiata could still be active. The numerical solution shows that, as the central part of the edifice sinks into the weak basement, diapiric structures of the underlying formations form around the base of the volcano. Deposition of volcanic rocks within the volcano and surface erosion away from it both enhance spreading. In addition, a sloping basement may constitute a trigger for spreading and formation of trains of adjacent diapirs. As a feedback, the hot hydrothermal fluids decrease the shear strength of the anhydrites facilitating the spreading process. Finally, we observe that volcanic spreading has created ideal heat traps that constitute todays' exploited geothermal fields at Amiata. Normal faults generated by volcanic spreading, volcanic conduits, and direct contact between volcanic rocks (which host an extensive fresh

Influence of hydrothermal processes on changes of volcanic rocks (data of physical modelling)

Science.gov (United States)

Shanina, V. V.; Bychkov, A. Y.

2009-04-01

Due to active development of geothermal energy, in middle of the last century have begun papers devoted to experiments, directed on study of transformations of minerals [4] and rocks [1, 2, 5] under action of geothermal processes. But any researcher did not estimate thus change of their physical and physico-mechanical properties. The purpose of job - to study character and dynamics changes of volcanic rocks (to simulate conditions of geothermal transformations). Tasks: creation of the whole series of experiments in autoclavs at various temperatures, pressure and composition of solutions, preparation of samples, study of chemical and mineral composition, structure and properties of rocks and solutions before and after experiments. In 2006 the first similar experiments were begun [3]. Researched rocks basalts, hyaloclasites and obsidian, selected from Iceland and tuffs Payzhetka Geothermal Field, Southern Kamchatka, Russia. Were used autoclavs, consisting from titanic of an alloy ВТ-8, volume 116-119 мл, in each of which was located from 2 up to 4 samples of rocks of the investigated structure and properties. The heating was made in OVEN ТРМ-10 with accuracy + 1 °С, the constancy of temperature was supervised by thermocouples. 15 experiences (temperature 200, 300 and 450 °С; pressure 16, 86 and 1000 bars accordingly now are carried out; 4 solutions (1 alkaline and 3 acid); duration 14, 15, 30 and 60 days). All four groups of the investigated rocks appreciablly react under geothermal influence. The changes are observed in colour of samples (brighten in acid solutions), their microstructure, that for basalts is visible only in raster electronic microscope, and in education of new mineral phases, is especially active in a acid solution, the X-Ray analysis (has executed by Dr. Krupskaya V.V., apparatuses - DRON- UM1) has shown, that 94,2 % is smectite, 3,5 % - kaolinite, 1,2 % - crisrobalite, 1,1 % - diopside (?), in others pores fills chlorite, and in an

Lahar—River of volcanic mud and debris

Science.gov (United States)

Major, Jon J.; Pierson, Thomas C.; Vallance, James W.

2018-05-09

Lahar, an Indonesian word for volcanic mudflow, is a mixture of water, mud, and volcanic rock flowing swiftly along a channel draining a volcano. Lahars can form during or after eruptions, or even during periods of inactivity. They are among the greatest threats volcanoes pose to people and property. Lahars can occur with little to no warning, and may travel great distances at high speeds, destroying or burying everything in their paths.Lahars form in many ways. They commonly occur when eruptions melt snow and ice on snow-clad volcanoes; when rains fall on steep slopes covered with fresh volcanic ash; when crater lakes, volcano glaciers or lakes dammed by volcanic debris suddenly release water; and when volcanic landslides evolve into flowing debris. Lahars are especially likely to occur at erupting or recently active volcanoes.Because lahars are so hazardous, U.S. Geological Survey scientists pay them close attention. They study lahar deposits and limits of inundation, model flow behavior, develop lahar-hazard maps, and work with community leaders and governmental authorities to help them understand and minimize the risks of devastating lahars.

Fire effects on rock images and similar cultural resources [Chapter 5

Science.gov (United States)

Roger E. Kelly; Daniel F. McCarthy

2012-01-01

Throughout human global history, people have purposely altered natural rock surfaces by drilling, drawing, painting, incising, pecking, abrading and chiseling images into stone. Some rock types that present suitable media surfaces for these activities are fine-grained sandstones and granites, basalts, volcanic tuff, dolomites, and limestones. Commonly called rock...

Forecasting the 2011 El Hierro submarine eruption (Canary Islands) on the basis of soil He degassing surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Padrón, E.; Pérez, N. M.; Hernández, P. A.; Melián, G. V.; Padilla, G. D.; Barrancos, J.; Dionis, S.; Rodríguez, F.; Nolasco, D.; Calvo, D.; Hernández, I.; Peraza, M. D.

2012-04-01

El Hierro Island is the southwesternmost and the youngest island of the Canary archipelago. Since 16 July, an anomalous seismicity at El Hierro island was recorded by IGN seismic network. After the occurrence of more than 10,000 seismic events, volcanic tremor was recorded since 05:15 of the October 10, by all of the seismic stations on the island, with highest amplitudes recorded in the southernmost station. During the afternoon of 12 October a large light-green coloured area was observed in the sea to the souht of La Restinga village (at the southernmost part of El Hierro island), suggesting the existence of a submarine eruption. Since October 12, frequent episodes of, turbulent gas emission and foaming, and the appearance of steamy lava fragments has been observed on the sea surface. As part of the volcanic surveillance of the island, the Instituto Volcanologico de Canarias (INVOLCAN) geochemical monitoring program is carrying out diffuse helium surveys on the surface environment of El Hierro (soil atmosphere). This nobel gas has been investigated because it has been considered an almost ideal geochemical indicator because it is chemically inert, physically stable, nonbiogenic, sparingly soluble in water under ambient conditions and almost non-adsorbable. At each survey, 600 sampling sites covering the whole island and following an homogeneous distribution are selected for helium measurements in the soil gases, The helium concentration gradients with respect to its value on air (5.24 ppm) allow us to estimate a pure diffusive emission rate of helium throughout the island. The first survey was carried out on the summer of 2003, when the island was on a quiescence period. At this survey, the amount of helium released by the volcanic system of El Hierro was estimated in 6 kg/d. Since the beginning of the seismic unrest, 13 helium emission surveys have been carried out. The helium emission rate has shown an excellent agreement with the evolution of the volcanic

Acoustic and tephra records of explosive eruptions at West Mata submarine volcano, NE Lau Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Dziak, R. P.; Bohnenstiehl, D. R.; Baker, E. T.; Matsumoto, H.; Caplan-Auerbach, J.; Mack, C. J.; Embley, R. W.; Merle, S. G.; Walker, S. L.; Lau, T. A.

2013-12-01

West Mata is a 1200 m deep submarine volcano where explosive boninite eruptions were directly observed in May 2009. Here we present long-term acoustic and tephra records of West Mata explosion activity from three deployments of hydrophone and particle sensor moorings beginning on 8 January 2009. These records provide insights into the character of explosive magma degassing occurring at the volcano's summit vent until the decline and eventual cessation of the eruption during late 2010 and early 2011. The detailed acoustic records show three types of volcanic signals, 1) discrete explosions, 2) diffuse explosions, and 3) volcanic tremor. Discrete explosions are short duration, high amplitude broad-band signals caused by rapid gas bubble release. Diffuse signals are likely a result of 'trap-door' explosions where a quench cap of cooled lava forms over the magmatic vent but gas pressure builds underneath the cap. This pressure eventually causes the cap to breach and gas is explosively released until pressure reduces and the cap once again forms. Volcanic tremor is typified by narrow-band, long-duration signals with overtones, as well as narrow-band tones that vary frequency over time between 60-100 Hz. The harmonic tremor is thought to be caused by modulation of rapid, short duration gas explosion pulses and not a magma resonance phenomenon. The variable frequency tones may be caused by focused degassing or hydrothermal fluid flow from a narrow volcanic vent or conduit. High frequency (>30 Hz) tremor-like bands of energy are a result of interference caused by multipath wide-band signals, including sea-surface reflected acoustic phases, that arrive at the hydrophone with small time delays. Acoustic data suggest that eruption velocities for a single explosion range from 4-50 m s-1, although synchronous arrival of explosion signals has complicated our efforts to estimate long-term gas flux. Single explosions exhibit ~4-40 m3 s-1 of total volume flux (gas and rock) but

Geochemistry and Mineral Chemistry of Zeolites Bearing Basic Volcanic Rocks from the Boumehen-Roudehen Area, East of Tehran

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Amir Ali Tabbakh Shabani

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction The Upper Eocene basic volcanic rocks that have cropped out in Karaj formation in the Boumehen and Roudehen area in the east of Tehran are characterized by fibrous zeolites filling their vesicles, cavities and fractures creating amygdale texture. The study area is located structurally in the Central Alborz orogenic belt. The presence of large volumes of shoshonitic magma during the Middle to Late Eocene in southern–central Alborz implies that partial melting to produce shoshsonitic melts was not a local petrological event. Thus, their ages, formation processes, and interpretations are of regional tectonic significance. In this study, we present a detailed petrography, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock geochemistry of high-K (shoshonitic basic rocks to understand the petrogenesis and source region and to deduce the nature of the tectonomagmatic regime of the Alborz. Materials and methods In this study, we present new major and trace element data for a selection of 4 of the least altered samples by a combination of X-ray fluorescence (XRF and ICP-OES techniques at the Zarazma Mineral Studies Company. Mineral analyses were obtained by wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry on polished thin sections prepared from each rock sample described above for 12 elements using a Cameca SX-50 electron microprobe at the Istituto di Geologia e Geoingegneria Ambientale, C.N.R., University La Sapienza of Rome, Italy. Typical beam operating conditions were 15 kV and probe current of 15 nA. The accuracy of the analyses is 1% for major and 10% for minor elements. A total of 24 point analyses were collected. Results and Discussion The extent of alteration in the study rocks varies from slight to severe and shows porphyritic to glomeroporphyritic textures. Pyroxenes are generally subhedral to euhedral and occur as discrete crystals as well as aggregates. Olivine may occur only as relics filled with iddingsite, chlorite and calcite. Plagioclase is

Psychological aspects in a volcanic crisis: El Hierro Island eruption (October, 2011).

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, P.; Llinares, A.; Garcia, A.; Marrero, J. M.; Ortiz, R.

2012-04-01

The recent eruption on the El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain) has shown that Psychology plays an important role in the emergence management of a natural phenomenon. However, Psychology continues to have no social coverage it deserves in the mitigation of the effects before, during and after the occurrence of a natural phenomenon. Keep in mind that an unresolved psychological problem involves an individual and collective mismatch may become unrecoverable. The population of El Hierro has been under a state of alert since July 2011, when seismic activity begins, until the occurrence of submarine eruption in October 2011 that is held for more than three months. During this period the inhabitants of the small island have gone through different emotional states ranging from confusion to disappointment. A volcanic eruption occurs not unexpectedly, allowing to have a time of preparation / action before the disaster. From the psychological point of view people from El Hierro Island have responded to different stages of the same natural process. Although the island of El Hierro is of volcanic origin, the population has no historical memory since the last eruption occurred in 1793. Therefore, the educational system does not adequately address the formation in volcanic risk. As a result people feel embarrassment when the seismovolcanic crisis begins, although no earthquakes felt. As an intermediate stage, when the earthquakes are felt by the population, scientists and operational Emergency Plan care to inform and prepare actions in case of a possible eruption. The population feel safe despite the concerns expressed by not knowing where, how and when the eruption will occur. Once started the submarine eruption, taking into account that all the actions (evacuation, relocation, etc.) have worked well and that both their basic needs and security are covered there are new states of mind. These new emotional states ranging from disenchantment with the phenomenology of the

Unravelling the magmatic system beneath a monogenetic volcanic complex (Jagged Rocks Complex, Hopi Buttes, AZ, USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Re, G.; Palin, J. M.; White, J. D. L.; Parolari, M.

2017-12-01

The Jagged Rocks complex is the eroded remnant of the plumbing systems of closely spaced monogenetic alkaline volcanic centres in the southern Hopi Buttes Volcanic Field (AZ, USA). It contains different clinopyroxene populations with distinctive textures and geochemical patterns. In the Northwestern part of the complex, which exposes the best developed system of conduits, most of the clinopyroxenes consist of large- to medium-sized resorbed cores overgrown by euhedral rims (type 1), small moderately resorbed greenish cores with the same overgrown rims (type 2), and phlogopite as an accessory phase. By contrast, in the Southern part of the complex the majority of clinopyroxenes are euhedral with oscillatory zonation (type 3) and are accompanied by minor euhedral olivine. The differences between these mineral assemblages indicate a composite history of crystallization and magmatic evolution for the two parts of the complex, governed by different mechanisms and ascent patterns from a single source at 50 km depth (16 kbar). The Northwest system preserves a high-pressure assemblage that cooled rapidly from near-liquidus conditions, suggesting direct ascent from the source to the surface at high-to-moderate transport rates (average 1.25 m/s). By contrast, the Southern system represents magma that advanced upward at much lower overall ascent rates, stalling at times to form small-volume mid-crustal storage zones (e.g., sills or a network of sheeted intrusions); this allowed the re-equilibration of the magma at lower pressure ( 30 km; 8 kbar), and led to nucleation and growth of euhedral clinopyroxene and olivine phenocrysts.

Fluidal deep-sea volcanic ash as an indicator of explosive volcanism (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Clague, D. A.; Portner, R. A.; Paduan, J. B.; Dreyer, B. M.

2013-12-01

Fluidal glassy lava fragments are now known to be abundant at sites of submarine eruptions including the mid-ocean ridge system, near-ridge seamount chains, mid-plate volcanoes and the submarine rifts of ocean islands, deep-sea (4200m) alkalic lava fields, back-arc spreading centers, and arc volcanoes. Fluidal fragments at these diverse settings have compositions including basanite, tholeiite, boninite, andesite, dacite, and rhyolite. Fragments include straight, bent, curved, and coiled Pele's hair; flat, curved, twisted, folded, bent, or keeled ribbons; and flat, curved, or intensely folded limu o Pele. Most of these morphologies attach to blocky glass fragments. The fluidal fragments from different settings and depths are strikingly similar in morphology with variable vesicularity and particle thickness. They have been sampled flat and steep, rocky to sediment-covered substrates. Two different mechanisms are proposed to explain their origin: magmatic-volatile fragmentation during eruption and sea floor lava-water interactions. Volatiles in the melts and ambient water are present in all submarine volcanic settings, making it difficult to separate their role in forming the fragments. Submarine bubble-burst (strombolian) activity has been observed in situ at an active vent at -1200m on West Mata Volcano. However, lava-water interaction at elevated pressure has not been observed to make such fluidal fragments except in laboratory simulations. Lava-water interaction models suggest that pore water in sediment trapped beneath advancing lava flows migrates into the overlying flow where it expands to steam, and the expanding steam bubble escapes explosively through the flow top to form the fluidal fragments. This is different from the hollow (water-filled) pillars that form in inflating flows as trapped water escapes. Pillars grow upwards at contacts between flow lobes, thus the water exiting through pillars never enters (or exits) the molten lava flow interior. Another

Formation of a spatter-rich pyroclastic density current deposit in a Neogene sequence of trachytic-mafic igneous rocks at Mason Spur, Erebus volcanic province, Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, A. P.; Smellie, J. L.; Cooper, A. F.; Townsend, D. B.

2018-01-01

Erosion has revealed a remarkable section through the heart of a volcanic island, Mason Spur, in the southwestern Ross Sea, Antarctica, including an unusually well-exposed section of caldera fill. The near-continuous exposure, 10 km laterally and > 1 km vertically, cuts through Cenozoic alkalic volcanic rocks of the Erebus volcanic province (McMurdo Volcanic Group) and permits the study of an ancient volcanic succession that is rarely available due to subsequent burial or erosion. The caldera filling sequence includes an unusual trachytic spatter-rich lapilli tuff (ignimbrite) facies that is particularly striking because of the presence of abundant black fluidal, dense juvenile spatter clasts of trachytic obsidian up to 2 m long supported in a pale cream-coloured pumiceous lapilli tuff matrix. Field mapping indicates that the deposit is an ignimbrite and, together with petrological considerations, it is suggested that mixing of dense spatter and pumiceous lapilli tuff in the investigated deposit occurred during emplacement, not necessarily in the same vent, with the mixed fragmental material emplaced as a pyroclastic density current. Liquid water was not initially present but a steam phase was probably generated during transport and may represent water ingested during passage of the current as it passed over either wet ground, stream, shallow lake or (possibly) snow. Well-exposed caldera interiors are uncommon and that at Mason Spur is helping understand eruption dynamics associated with a complex large island volcano. The results of our study should help to elucidate interpretations of other, less well exposed, pyroclastic density current deposits elsewhere in Antarctica and globally.

Supervolcanoes within an ancient volcanic province in Arabia Terra, Mars.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalski, Joseph R; Bleacher, Jacob E

2013-10-03

Several irregularly shaped craters located within Arabia Terra, Mars, represent a new type of highland volcanic construct and together constitute a previously unrecognized Martian igneous province. Similar to terrestrial supervolcanoes, these low-relief paterae possess a range of geomorphic features related to structural collapse, effusive volcanism and explosive eruptions. Extruded lavas contributed to the formation of enigmatic highland ridged plains in Arabia Terra. Outgassed sulphur and erupted fine-grained pyroclastics from these calderas probably fed the formation of altered, layered sedimentary rocks and fretted terrain found throughout the equatorial region. The discovery of a new type of volcanic construct in the Arabia volcanic province fundamentally changes the picture of ancient volcanism and climate evolution on Mars. Other eroded topographic basins in the ancient Martian highlands that have been dismissed as degraded impact craters should be reconsidered as possible volcanic constructs formed in an early phase of widespread, disseminated magmatism on Mars.

Birth of two volcanic islands in the southern Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Xu, Wenbin

2015-05-26

Submarine eruptions that lead to the formation of new volcanic islands are rare and far from being fully understood; only a few such eruptions have been witnessed since Surtsey Island emerged to the south of Iceland in the 1960s. Here we report on two new volcanic islands that were formed in the Zubair archipelago of the southern Red Sea in 2011–2013. Using high-resolution optical satellite images, we find that the new islands grew rapidly during their initial eruptive phases and that coastal erosion significantly modified their shapes within months. Satellite radar data indicate that two north–south-oriented dykes, much longer than the small islands might suggest, fed the eruptions. These events occurred contemporaneously with several local earthquake swarms of the type that typically accompany magma intrusions. Earthquake activity has been affecting the southern Red Sea for decades, suggesting the presence of a magmatically active zone that has previously escaped notice.

A 3D model of crustal magnetization at the Pinacate Volcanic Field, NW Sonora, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

García-Abdeslem, Juan; Calmus, Thierry

2015-08-01

The Pinacate Volcanic Field (PVF) is located near the western border of the southern Basin and Range province, in the State of Sonora NW Mexico, and within the Gulf of California Extensional Province. This volcanic field contains the shield volcano Santa Clara, which mainly consists of basaltic to trachytic volcanic rocks, and reaches an altitude of 1200 m. The PVF disrupts a series of discontinuous ranges of low topographic relief aligned in a NW direction, which consist mainly of Proterozoic metamorphic rocks and Proterozoic through Paleogene granitoids. The PVF covers an area of approximately 60 by 55 km, and includes more than 400 well-preserved cinder cones and vents and eight maar craters. It was active from about 1.7 Ma until about 13 ka. We have used the ages and magnetic polarities of the volcanic rocks, along with mapped magnetic anomalies and their inverse modeling to determine that the Pinacate Volcanic Field was formed during two volcanic episodes. The oldest one built the Santa Clara shield volcano of basaltic and trachytic composition, and occurred during the geomagnetic Matuyama Chron of reverse polarity, which also includes the normal polarity Jaramillo and Olduvai Subchrons, thus imprinting both normal and reverse magnetization in the volcanic products. The younger Pinacate series of basaltic composition represents monogenetic volcanic activity that extends all around the PVF and occurred during the subsequent geomagnetic Brunhes Chron of normal polarity. Magnetic anomalies toward the north of the Santa Clara volcano are the most intense in the PVF, and their inverse modeling indicates the presence of a large subsurface body magnetized in the present direction of the geomagnetic field. This suggests that the magma chambers at depth cooled below the Curie temperature during the Brunhes Chron.

Explosive volcanism, shock metamorphism and the K-T boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desilva, S.L.; Sharpton, V.L.

1988-01-01

The issue of whether shocked quartz can be produced by explosive volcanic events is important in understanding the origin of the K-T boundary constituents. Proponents of a volcanic origin for the shocked quartz at the K-T boundary cite the suggestion of Rice, that peak overpressures of 1000 kbars can be generated during explosive volcanic eruptions, and may have occurred during the May, 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Attention was previously drawn to the fact that peak overpressures during explosive eruptions are limited by the strength of the rock confining the magma chamber to less than 8 kbars even under ideal conditions. The proposed volcanic mechanisms for generating pressures sufficient to shock quartz are further examined. Theoretical arguments, field evidence and petrographic data are presented showing that explosive volcanic eruptions cannot generate shock metamorphic features of the kind seen in minerals at the K-T boundary

The submarine eruption of La Restinga (El Hierro, Canary Islands): October 2011-March 2012; La erupcion submarina de La Restinga en la isla de El Hierro, Canarias: Octubre 2011-Marzo 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perez-Torrado, F J; Carracedo, J C; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, A; Soler, V; Troll, V R; Wiesmaier, S

2012-11-01

The first signs of renewed volcanic activity at El Hierro began in July 2011 with the occurrence of abundant, low-magnitude earthquakes. The increasing seismicity culminated on October 10, 2011, with the onset of a submarine eruption about 2 km offshore from La Restinga, the southernmost village on El Hierro. The analysis of seismic and deformation records prior to, and throughout, the eruption allowed the reconstruction of its main phases: 1) ascent of magma and migration of hypo centres from beneath the northern coast (El Golfo) towards the south rift zone, close to La Restinga, probably marking the hydraulic fracturing and the opening of the eruptive conduit; and 2) onset and development of a volcanic eruption indicated by sustained and prolonged harmonic tremor whose intensity varied with time. The features monitored during the eruption include location, depth and morphological evolution of the eruptive source and emission of floating volcanic bombs. These bombs initially showed white, vesiculated cores (originated by partial melting of underlying pre-volcanic sediments upon which the island of El Hierro was constructed) and black basanite rims, and later exclusively hollow basanitic lava balloons. The eruptive products have been matched with a fissural submarine eruption without ever having attained surtseyan explosiveness. The eruption has been active for about five months and ended in March 2012, thus becoming the second longest reported historical eruption in the Canary Islands after the Timanfaya eruption in Lanzarote (1730-1736). This eruption provided the first opportunity in 40 years to manage a volcanic crisis in the Canary Islands and to assess the interpretations and decisions taken, thereby gaining experience for improved management of future volcanic activity. Seismicity and deformation during the eruption were recorded and analysed by the Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN). Unfortunately, a lack of systematic sampling of erupted pyroclasts and

Searching for structural medium changes during the 2011 El Hierro (Spain) submarine eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Pastor, Pilar S.; Schimmel, Martin; López, Carmen

2017-04-01

Submarine volcanic eruptions are often difficult to study due to their restricted access that usually inhibits direct observations. That happened with the 2011 El Hierro eruption, which is the first eruption that has been tracked in real time in Canary Islands. For instance, despite the real-time tracking it was not possible to determine the exact end of the eruption. Besides, volcanic eruptions involve many dynamic (physical and chemical) processes, which cause structural changes in the surrounding medium that we expect to observe and monitor through passive seismic approaches. The purpose of this study is to detect and analyse these changes as well as to search for precursory signals to the eruption itself using ambient noise auto and cross-correlations. We employ different correlation strategies (classical and phase cross-correlation) and apply them to field data recorded by the IGN network during 2011 and 2012. The different preprocessing and processing steps are tested and compared to better understand the data, to find the robust signatures, and to define a routine work procedure. One of the problems we face is the presence of volcanic tremors, which cause a varying seismic response that we can not attribute to structural changes. So far, structural changes could not be detected unambiguously and we present our ongoing research in this field.

K-Ar ages of the Nyuto-Takakura volcanic products, southern part of the Sengan geothermal area, northeast Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suto, Shigeru; Uto, Kozo; Uchiumi, Shigeru

1990-01-01

The K-Ar age determination of the volcanic rocks from the Nyuto-Takakura volcano group, northeast Japan, was carried out. Nyuto-Takakura volcanoes are situated in the southern part of the Sengan geothermal area. And the Young Volcanic Rocks in the area were already divided into the Early stage volcanics (erupted in Matsuyama reversed epoch or more older epoch) and the Later stage volcanics (erupted in Brunhes normal epoch) by accumulated paleomagnetic and K-Ar age data. The results in this study are as follows; Nyuto Volcano: 0.63±0.06, 0.36±0.07 Ma, Sasamoriyama Volcano: 0.09±0.07, 0.3±0.3 Ma, Marumori Lava Dome: 0.4±0.3, 0.31±0.12 Ma, Mikadoyama Lava Dome: <1 Ma, Takakurayama-Kotakakurayama volcano: 1.4±0.5, 1.0±0.4, <0.4 Ma. The determinated ages are concordant with the volcanic stratigraphy and the paleomagnetic data. Nyuto Volcano, Sasamoriyama Volcano, Marumori Lava Dome, Mikadoyama Lava Dome and upper part of the Takakurayama-Kotakakurayama Volcano are interpreted to be erupted in Brunhes normal epoch. The volcanic rocks from the lower part of the Takakurayama-Kotakakurayama volcano show normal magnetic polarity, so they are interpreted to be erupted in Jaramillo normal polarity event. The Early stage volcanics and the Later stage volcanics in the studied area are tend to be distributed in the central part and the outer part of the area, respectively. But the determinated ages in this study show that there is no simple migration of the eruption center of the volcanic rocks from the central part to the peripheral part. There is no geothermal manifestation or alteration area around the Sasamoriyama Volcano and the Marumori Lava Dome, which are the youngest volcanoes in the studied area. So it is concluded that there is no direct correlation between the eruption age of the nearest volcano and the geothermal activity. (author)

The ongoing search for the oldest rock on the Danish island of Bornholm: new U-Pb zircon ages for a quartz-rich xenolith and country rock from the Svaneke Granite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waight, Tod Earle; Serre, Simon H.; Næsby, Sebastian H.

2017-01-01

Previous geochronological studies on the Danish island of Bornholm have not identified any rocks older than c. 1.46 Ga. New LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages are presented for a xenolith within, and the country rock gneiss adjacent to, the Svaneke Granite on Bornholm. The xenolith is fine......-grained and quartz-rich and was likely derived from either a quartz-rich sedimentary protolith or a hydrothermally altered felsic volcanic rock. The relatively fine-grained felsic nature of the country rock gneiss and the presence of large zoned feldspars that may represent phenocrysts suggest its protolith may have...... been a felsic volcanic or shallow intrusive rock. A skarn-like inclusion from a nearby locality likely represents an originally carbonate sediment and is consistent with supracrustal rocks being present at least locally. Zircon data from the xenolith define an upper intercept age of 1483 ± 12 Ma (2σ...

The Quaternary calc-alkaline volcanism of the Patagonian Andes close to the Chile triple junction: geochemistry and petrogenesis of volcanic rocks from the Cay and Maca volcanoes (˜45°S, Chile)

Science.gov (United States)

D'Orazio, M.; Innocenti, F.; Manetti, P.; Tamponi, M.; Tonarini, S.; González-Ferrán, O.; Lahsen, A.; Omarini, R.

2003-08-01

Major- and trace-element, Sr-Nd isotopes, and mineral chemistry data were obtained for a collection of volcanic rock samples erupted by the Cay and Maca Quaternary volcanoes, Patagonian Andes (˜45°S, Chile). Cay and Maca are two large, adjacent stratovolcanoes that rise from the Chiloe block at the southern end of the southern volcanic zone (SVZ) of the Andes. Samples from the two volcanoes are typical medium-K, calc-alkaline rocks that form two roughly continuous, largely overlapping series from subalkaline basalt to dacite. The overall geochemistry of the samples studied is very similar to that observed for most volcanoes from the southern SVZ. The narrow range of Sr-Nd isotope compositions ( 87Sr/ 86Sr=0.70389-0.70431 and 143Nd/ 144Nd=0.51277-0.51284) and the major- and trace-element distributions indicate that the Cay and Maca magmas differentiated by crystal fractionation without significant contribution by crustal contamination. This is in accordance with the thin (Maca magmas is investigated by means of the relative concentration of fluid mobile (e.g. Ba) and fluid immobile (e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr, Y) elements and other relevant trace-element ratios (e.g. Sr/Y). The results indicate that small amounts (Maca volcanoes and that, despite the very young age (Maca magma sources to the northern edge of the slab window generated by the subduction of the Chile ridge under the South American plate, we did not find any geochemical evidence for a contribution of a subslab asthenospheric mantle. However, this mantle has been used to explain the peculiar geochemical features (e.g. the mild alkalinity and relatively low ratios between large ion lithophile and high field strength elements) of the Hudson volcano, which is located even closer to the slab window than the Cay and Maca volcanoes are.

Miocene magmatism in the Bodie Hills volcanic field, California and Nevada: A long-lived eruptive center in the southern segment of the ancestral Cascades arc

Science.gov (United States)

John, David A.; du Bray, Edward A.; Blakely, Richard J.; Fleck, Robert J.; Vikre, Peter; Box, Stephen E.; Moring, Barry C.

2012-01-01

The Middle to Late Miocene Bodie Hills volcanic field is a >700 km2, long-lived (∼9 Ma) but episodic eruptive center in the southern segment of the ancestral Cascades arc north of Mono Lake (California, U.S.). It consists of ∼20 major eruptive units, including 4 trachyandesite stratovolcanoes emplaced along the margins of the field, and numerous, more centrally located silicic trachyandesite to rhyolite flow dome complexes. Bodie Hills volcanism was episodic with two peak periods of eruptive activity: an early period ca. 14.7–12.9 Ma that mostly formed trachyandesite stratovolcanoes and a later period between ca. 9.2 and 8.0 Ma dominated by large trachyandesite-dacite dome fields. A final period of small silicic dome emplacement occurred ca. 6 Ma. Aeromagnetic and gravity data suggest that many of the Miocene volcanoes have shallow plutonic roots that extend to depths ≥1–2 km below the surface, and much of the Bodie Hills may be underlain by low-density plutons presumably related to Miocene volcanism.Compositions of Bodie Hills volcanic rocks vary from ∼50 to 78 wt% SiO2, although rocks with Bodie Hills rocks are porphyritic, commonly containing 15–35 vol% phenocrysts of plagioclase, pyroxene, and hornblende ± biotite. The oldest eruptive units have the most mafic compositions, but volcanic rocks oscillated between mafic and intermediate to felsic compositions through time. Following a 2 Ma hiatus in volcanism, postsubduction rocks of the ca. 3.6–0.1 Ma, bimodal, high-K Aurora volcanic field erupted unconformably onto rocks of the Miocene Bodie Hills volcanic field.At the latitude of the Bodie Hills, subduction of the Farallon plate is inferred to have ended ca. 10 Ma, evolving to a transform plate margin. However, volcanism in the region continued until 8 Ma without an apparent change in rock composition or style of eruption. Equidimensional, polygenetic volcanoes and the absence of dike swarms suggest a low differential horizontal stress regime

Research into basic rocks types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) has carried out research into basic rock types in Finland. The research programme has been implemented in parallel with the preliminary site investigations for radioactive waste disposal in 1991-1993. The program contained two main objectives: firstly, to study the properties of the basic rock types and compare those with the other rock types under the investigation; secondly, to carry out an inventory of rock formations consisting of basic rock types and suitable in question for final disposal. A study of environmental factors important to know regarding the final disposal was made of formations identified. In total 159 formations exceeding the size of 4 km 2 were identified in the inventory. Of these formations 97 were intrusive igneous rock types and 62 originally extrusive volcanic rock types. Deposits consisting of ore minerals, industrial minerals or building stones related to these formations were studied. Environmental factors like natural resources, protected areas or potential for restrictions in land use were also studied

Arctic Submarine Slope Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Winkelmann, D.; Geissler, W.

2010-12-01

Submarine landsliding represents aside submarine earthquakes major natural hazard to coastal and sea-floor infrastructure as well as to coastal communities due to their ability to generate large-scale tsunamis with their socio-economic consequences. The investigation of submarine landslides, their conditions and trigger mechanisms, recurrence rates and potential impact remains an important task for the evaluation of risks in coastal management and offshore industrial activities. In the light of a changing globe with warming oceans and rising sea-level accompanied by increasing human population along coasts and enhanced near- and offshore activities, slope stability issues gain more importance than ever before. The Arctic exhibits the most rapid and drastic changes and is predicted to change even faster. Aside rising air temperatures, enhanced inflow of less cooled Atlantic water into the Arctic Ocean reduces sea-ice cover and warms the surroundings. Slope stability is challenged considering large areas of permafrost and hydrates. The Hinlopen/Yermak Megaslide (HYM) north of Svalbard is the first and so far only reported large-scale submarine landslide in the Arctic Ocean. The HYM exhibits the highest headwalls that have been found on siliciclastic margins. With more than 10.000 square kilometer areal extent and app. 2.400 cubic kilometer of involved sedimentary material, it is one of the largest exposed submarine slides worldwide. Geometry and age put this slide in a special position in discussing submarine slope stability on glaciated continental margins. The HYM occurred 30 ka ago, when the global sea-level dropped by app. 50 m within less than one millennium due to rapid onset of global glaciation. It probably caused a tsunami with circum-Arctic impact and wave heights exceeding 130 meters. The HYM affected the slope stability field in its neighbourhood by removal of support. Post-megaslide slope instability as expressed in creeping and smaller-scaled slides are

Geochronology, stratigraphy and geochemistry of Cambro-Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian volcanic rocks of the Saxothuringian Zone in NE Bavaria (Germany)—new constraints for Gondwana break up and ocean-island magmatism

Science.gov (United States)

Höhn, Stefan; Koglin, Nikola; Klopf, Lisa; Schüssler, Ulrich; Tragelehn, Harald; Frimmel, Hartwig E.; Zeh, Armin; Brätz, Helene

2018-01-01

Stratigraphically well-defined volcanic rocks in Palaeozoic volcano-sedimentary units of the Frankenwald area (Saxothuringian Zone, Variscan Orogen) were sampled for geochemical characterisation and U-Pb zircon dating. The oldest rock suite comprises quartz keratophyre, brecciated keratophyre, quartz keratophyre tuff and basalt, formed in Upper Cambrian to Tremadocian time (c. 497-478 Ma). Basaltic volcanism continued until the Silurian. Quartz keratophyre shows post-collisional calc-alkaline signature, the Ordovician-Silurian basalt has alkaline signature typical of continental rift environments. The combined datasets provide evidence of Cambro-Ordovician bimodal volcanism and successive rifting until the Silurian. This evolution very likely resulted from break-up of the northern Gondwana margin, as recorded in many terranes throughout Europe. The position at the northern Gondwana margin is supported by detrital zircon grains in some tuffs, with typical Gondwana-derived age spectra mostly recording ages of 550-750 Ma and minor age populations of 950-1100 and 1700-2700 Ma. The absence of N-MORB basalt in the Frankenwald area points to a retarded break-off of the Saxothuringian terrane along a continental rift system from Uppermost Cambrian to Middle Silurian time. Geochemical data for a second suite of Upper Devonian basalt provide evidence of emplacement in a hot spot-related ocean-island setting south of the Rheic Ocean. Our results also require partial revision of the lithostratigraphy of the Frankenwald area. The basal volcanic unit of the Randschiefer Formation yielded a Tremadocian age and, therefore, should be attributed to the Vogtendorf Formation. Keratophyre of the Vogtendorf Formation, previously assigned to the Tremadoc, is most likely of Upper Devonian age.

Volcanism at 1.45 Ma within the Yellowstone Volcanic Field, United States

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera, Tiffany A.; Furlong, Ryan; Vincent, Jaime; Gardiner, Stephanie; Jicha, Brian R.; Schmitz, Mark D.; Lippert, Peter C.

2018-05-01

Rhyolitic volcanism in the Yellowstone Volcanic Field has spanned over two million years and consisted of both explosive caldera-forming eruptions and smaller effusive flows and domes. Effusive eruptions have been documented preceding and following caldera-forming eruptions, however the temporal and petrogenetic relationships of these magmas to the caldera-forming eruptions are relatively unknown. Here we present new 40Ar/39Ar dates for four small-volume eruptions located on the western rim of the second-cycle caldera, the source of the 1.300 ± 0.001 Ma Mesa Falls Tuff. We supplement our new eruption ages with whole rock major and trace element chemistry, Pb isotopic ratios of feldspar, and paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses. Eruption ages for the effusive Green Canyon Flow (1.299 ± 0.002 Ma) and Moonshine Mountain Dome (1.302 ± 0.003 Ma) are in close temporal proximity to the eruption age of the Mesa Falls Tuff. In contrast, our results indicate a period of volcanism at ca 1.45 Ma within the Yellowstone Volcanic Field, including the eruption of the Bishop Mountain Flow (1.458 ± 0.002 Ma) and Tuff of Lyle Spring (1.450 ± 0.003 Ma). These high-silica rhyolites are chemically and isotopically distinct from the Mesa Falls Tuff and related 1.3 Ma effusive eruptions. The 40Ar/39Ar data from the Tuff of Lyle Spring demonstrate significant antecrystic inheritance, prevalent within the upper welded ash-flow tuff matrix, and minimal within individual pumice. Antecrysts are up to 20 kyr older than the eruption, with subpopulations of grains occurring every few thousand years. We interpret these results as an indicator for the timing of magmatic pulses into a growing magmatic system that would ultimately erupt the Tuff of Lyle Spring, and which we more broadly interpret as the tempo of crustal accumulation associated with bimodal magmatism. We propose a system whereby chemically, isotopically, and temporally distinct, isolated small-volume magma batches are

First Survey For Submarine Hydrothermal Vents In NE Sulawesi, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

McConachy, T.; Binns, R.; Permana, H.

2001-12-01

The IASSHA-2001 cruise (Indonesia-Australia Survey for Submarine Hydrothermal Activity) was successfully conducted from June 1 to June 29 on board Baruna Jaya VIII. Preliminary results are reported of the first expedition to locate and study submarine hydrothermal activity in north east Sulawesi. Leg A focussed on Tomini Bay, a virtually unexplored Neogene sedimentary basin. Its objective was to test whether modern sediment-hosted hydrothermal activity occurred on the sea floor. The results of new bathymetric mapping, sediment coring and CTD/transmissometer hydrocasts negate the likely presence in central Tomini Bay of large-scale modern analogues of hydrothermal massive sulfide environments involving hydrothermal venting of basinal or magma-derived fluids into reduced sediments. It is possible that the "heat engine" required to drive circulation of basinal and hydrothermal fluids is today too weak. Surveys around Colo volcano indicate that it may be in its final stage of evolution. Leg B studied the arc and behind-arc sectors of the Sangihe volcanic island chain extending northwards from Quaternary volcanoes on the northeastern tip of Sulawesi's North Arm, near Manado. West of the main active chain and extending northwards from Manado there is a subparallel ridge surmounted by a number of high (>2000 m) seamounts of uncertain age. Fifteen relatively high-standing submarine edifices were crossed during this leg, of which nine were tested for hydrothermal activity by hydrocast and dredging. Eight sites were known from previous bathymetric surveys, and seven are new discoveries made by narrow-beam or multibeam echo sounding. Two submarine edifices at least 1000 m high were discovered in the strait immediately north of Awu volcano on Sangihe Island. One, with crest at 206 m, is surrounded by a circular platform 300m deep which we infer to be a foundered fringing reef to a formerly emergent island. The other, lacking such a platform, appears relatively young and may be

Geomorphic process fingerprints in submarine canyons

Science.gov (United States)

Brothers, Daniel S.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Chaytor, Jason D.; Twichell, David C.

2013-01-01

Submarine canyons are common features of continental margins worldwide. They are conduits that funnel vast quantities of sediment from the continents to the deep sea. Though it is known that submarine canyons form primarily from erosion induced by submarine sediment flows, we currently lack quantitative, empirically based expressions that describe the morphology of submarine canyon networks. Multibeam bathymetry data along the entire passive US Atlantic margin (USAM) and along the active central California margin near Monterey Bay provide an opportunity to examine the fine-scale morphology of 171 slope-sourced canyons. Log–log regression analyses of canyon thalweg gradient (S) versus up-canyon catchment area (A) are used to examine linkages between morphological domains and the generation and evolution of submarine sediment flows. For example, canyon reaches of the upper continental slope are characterized by steep, linear and/or convex longitudinal profiles, whereas reaches farther down canyon have distinctly concave longitudinal profiles. The transition between these geomorphic domains is inferred to represent the downslope transformation of debris flows into erosive, canyon-flushing turbidity flows. Over geologic timescales this process appears to leave behind a predictable geomorphic fingerprint that is dependent on the catchment area of the canyon head. Catchment area, in turn, may be a proxy for the volume of sediment released during geomorphically significant failures along the upper continental slope. Focused studies of slope-sourced submarine canyons may provide new insights into the relationships between fine-scale canyon morphology and down-canyon changes in sediment flow dynamics.

Anaerobic methanotrophic communities thrive in deep submarine permafrost.

Science.gov (United States)

Winkel, Matthias; Mitzscherling, Julia; Overduin, Pier P; Horn, Fabian; Winterfeld, Maria; Rijkers, Ruud; Grigoriev, Mikhail N; Knoblauch, Christian; Mangelsdorf, Kai; Wagner, Dirk; Liebner, Susanne

2018-01-22

Thawing submarine permafrost is a source of methane to the subsurface biosphere. Methane oxidation in submarine permafrost sediments has been proposed, but the responsible microorganisms remain uncharacterized. We analyzed archaeal communities and identified distinct anaerobic methanotrophic assemblages of marine and terrestrial origin (ANME-2a/b, ANME-2d) both in frozen and completely thawed submarine permafrost sediments. Besides archaea potentially involved in anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) we found a large diversity of archaea mainly belonging to Bathyarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, and Euryarchaeota. Methane concentrations and δ 13 C-methane signatures distinguish horizons of potential AOM coupled either to sulfate reduction in a sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ) or to the reduction of other electron acceptors, such as iron, manganese or nitrate. Analysis of functional marker genes (mcrA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) corroborate potential activity of AOM communities in submarine permafrost sediments at low temperatures. Modeled potential AOM consumes 72-100% of submarine permafrost methane and up to 1.2 Tg of carbon per year for the total expected area of submarine permafrost. This is comparable with AOM habitats such as cold seeps. We thus propose that AOM is active where submarine permafrost thaws, which should be included in global methane budgets.

Geochemical constraints on the link between volcanism and plutonism at the Yunshan caldera complex, SE China

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Lili; He, Zhenyu; Beier, Christoph; Klemd, Reiner

2018-01-01

The Yunshan caldera complex is part of a larger scale, ca. 2000-km-long volcanic-plutonic complex belt in the coastal region of SE China. The volcanic rocks in the caldera complex are characterized by high-silica peraluminous and peralkaline rhyolites associated with an intracaldera porphyritic quartz monzonite pluton. In this study, we present zircon U-Pb, Hf and stable O isotopes along with geochemical data of both volcanic and plutonic rocks to evaluate the potential petrogenetic link between volcanism and plutonism in the Yunshan caldera complex. SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology of both volcanic and plutonic rocks yields almost identical ages ranging from 95.6 to 93.1 Ma. The peraluminous and peralkaline rhyolites show negative anomalies of Sr, P, Ti and Ba and to a lesser extent negative Nb and Ta anomalies, along with positive Rb anomalies and `seagull-like' rare earth element (REE) patterns with negative Eu anomalies and low (La/Yb)N ratios. The intracaldera porphyritic quartz monzonite displays minor negative Rb, Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti anomalies and a positive Ba anomaly with REE patterns characterized by relatively high (La/Yb)N ratios and lack significant Eu anomalies. The peraluminous and peralkaline rhyolites and the porphyritic quartz monzonite exhibit consistent ɛ Nd( t) of - 3.7 to - 2.2 and display zircon ɛ Hf( t) values of - 2.1 to 3.7. They further have similar, mantle-like, zircon oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18OVSMOW mainly = 4.63 to 5.76‰). We interpret these observations to be in agreement with a crystal mush model in which the parental magma of the volcanic and plutonic rocks of the Yunshan caldera complex was likely produced by interaction of asthenosphere melts with subduction-influenced enriched mantle wedge. The peralkaline rhyolites are interpreted to represent the most differentiated magma that has subsequently experienced significant fluid-melt interactions, whereas the porphyritic quartz monzonite may be representative of the

Historical volcanic eruptions in the Canary Islands, tephra composition, and insights into the crystal cargo of basaltic magmas

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Longpre, M. A.; Muller, J.; Beaudry, P.; Andronikides, A.; Felpeto, A.

2017-12-01

Since the 16th century, at least 13 volcanic eruptions have occurred in the Canary Islands that formed monogenetic cinder cones and lava flow fields: 2 on Lanzarote, 4 on Tenerife, 6 on La Palma, and 1 on the submarine flank of El Hierro. Here we present a comprehensive new dataset of tephra composition for all 13 eruptions, comprising major and trace element data for bulk rocks and matrix glasses, as well as vesicularity and crystallinity measurements. In addition, we compile available volcanological and petrological information for specific eruptions, including estimates of lava flow area and volume. All lapilli samples show a vesicularity of 40-50 vol% and a vesicle-free crystallinity (crystals ≥ 250 µm) of 5-15 vol%. Modal mineralogy varies significantly between samples, typically consisting of olivine ± clinopyroxene ± Fe-Ti oxide ± plagioclase ± amphibole in different proportions. All but 2 tephras have basanite-tephrite bulk rock compositions. Lapilli from vents of the AD 1730-1736 Timanfaya eruption, Lanzarote, largely are basaltic, whereas the AD 1798 Chahorra eruption, Tenerife, produced phonotephrite tephra. These results are in agreement with published bulk lava flow data. Unsurprisingly, glass compositions are more evolved than bulk rocks and MgOglass is weakly positively correlated to MgObulk (MgOglass = 0.30*MgObulk + 2.11, R2 = 0.54). Both bulk rocks and glasses show strikingly similar multi-element diagram patterns, with strong enrichment relative to the bulk-silicate Earth and marked positive Nb and Ta and negative Pb anomalies — typical for ocean island basalts. Glass/bulk rock elemental ratios reveal systematic differences between samples that relate to their mineralogy; for example, Lanzarote tephras that lack significant clinopyroxene and Fe-Ti oxide crystals have higher Scglass/Scbulk and Vglass/Vbulk than Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro samples that typically contain these minerals. Among all elements, K and P display the greatest

Can rain cause volcanic eruptions?

Science.gov (United States)

Mastin, Larry G.

1993-01-01

Volcanic eruptions are renowned for their violence and destructive power. This power comes ultimately from the heat and pressure of molten rock and its contained gases. Therefore we rarely consider the possibility that meteoric phenomena, like rainfall, could promote or inhibit their occurrence. Yet from time to time observers have suggested that weather may affect volcanic activity. In the late 1800's, for example, one of the first geologists to visit the island of Hawaii, J.D. Dana, speculated that rainfall influenced the occurrence of eruptions there. In the early 1900's, volcanologists suggested that some eruptions from Mount Lassen, Calif., were caused by the infiltration of snowmelt into the volcano's hot summit. Most such associations have not been provable because of lack of information; others have been dismissed after careful evaluation of the evidence.

Numerical tsunami hazard assessment of the submarine volcano Kick 'em Jenny in high resolution are

Science.gov (United States)

Dondin, Frédéric; Dorville, Jean-Francois Marc; Robertson, Richard E. A.

2016-04-01

Landslide-generated tsunami are infrequent phenomena that can be potentially highly hazardous for population located in the near-field domain of the source. The Lesser Antilles volcanic arc is a curved 800 km chain of volcanic islands. At least 53 flank collapse episodes have been recognized along the arc. Several of these collapses have been associated with underwater voluminous deposits (volume > 1 km3). Due to their momentum these events were likely capable of generating regional tsunami. However no clear field evidence of tsunami associated with these voluminous events have been reported but the occurrence of such an episode nowadays would certainly have catastrophic consequences. Kick 'em Jenny (KeJ) is the only active submarine volcano of the Lesser Antilles Arc (LAA), with a current edifice volume estimated to 1.5 km3. It is the southernmost edifice of the LAA with recognized associated volcanic landslide deposits. The volcano appears to have undergone three episodes of flank failure. Numerical simulations of one of these episodes associated with a collapse volume of ca. 4.4 km3 and considering a single pulse collapse revealed that this episode would have produced a regional tsunami with amplitude of 30 m. In the present study we applied a detailed hazard assessment on KeJ submarine volcano (KeJ) form its collapse to its waves impact on high resolution coastal area of selected island of the LAA in order to highlight needs to improve alert system and risk mitigation. We present the assessment process of tsunami hazard related to shoreline surface elevation (i.e. run-up) and flood dynamic (i.e. duration, height, speed...) at the coast of LAA island in the case of a potential flank collapse scenario at KeJ. After quantification of potential initial volumes of collapse material using relative slope instability analysis (RSIA, VolcanoFit 2.0 & SSAP 4.5) based on seven geomechanical models, the tsunami source have been simulate by St-Venant equations-based code

Monitoring of radioactivity at the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amundsen, I.; Lind, B.

2002-01-01

In the morning of August 12th 2000, a Russian submarine accident occurred in international waters east of Rybatschi Peninsula in the Barents Sea about 250 km from Norway. The submarine, a Russian Oscar class II attack submarine, sunk to 116 meters depth at the position 69 deg. 36,99N, 37 deg. 34,50E. The submarine 'Kursk' is 154 meters long, equipped with two pressurised water reactors and the submerged displacement is 24000 tons. Each reactor has a thermal effect or 190 megawatt, or less than 10% of a typical nuclear power plant reactor. The submarines in Oscar-II class is one of the largest and most capable in the Russian Northern Fleet. No indications of leakage from the submarine have so far been observed during the monitoring expeditions. Elevated levels of radioactivity have note been detected in any dose-rate readings or at any of the measurements of environmental samples taken close to Kursk. Furthermore, no increased levels were measured on bits and pieces from the submarine or from water sampled inside the submarine. A more comprehensive report covering experience and monitoring results from the two expeditions term and impact assessments of possible future releases from Kursk. (LN)

Reconsideration of evolutionary model of the Hawaiian-type volcano: 40Ar/39Ar ages for lavas from deep interior of Oahu Island and alkali basalts from the North Arch volcanic field

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Uto, K.; Ishizuka, O.; Garcia, M. O.; Clague, D. A.; Naka, J.

2002-12-01

Growth history of Hawaiian-type volcanoes is typified into four stages: pre-shield, shield-forming, post-shield and rejuvinated. Duration of volcanism from pre-shield to post-shield stage is considered to be at most two million years, and is followed by the rejuvinated-stage after the dormance of one to two million years. There are, however, considerable amount of volcanic products hidden beneath the surface, and the above model may not be real due to the limited observation. US-Japan joint research on Hawaiian volcanism using ROV {\\KAIKO} and submersible {\\SHINKAI6500} of JAMSTEC has revealed many unknown volcanic processes of Hawaii. We challenge the well-established growth model of Hawaiian volcanoes from 40Ar/39Ar dating on rocks collected from the deep root of the submarine cliff of Oahu Island and from the widespread lava field off the coast of Oahu. Northern slope of Oahu Island is a deeply dissected steep wall from the ridge 1,000 m above the sea level to 3,000 m beneath the sea level. We expected to discover the deeper part of volcanic products forming Oahu Island. We obtained 6 40Ar/39Ar ages for tholeiitic lavas collected from 3,000 m to 2,600 m below the sea level. Ages are 5.7 and 6 Ma for two samples from the depth of 2,800 - 3,000 m, 4 Ma for a sample from 2,630 m, 3 Ma for a rock dredged between 2,500 and 2,800m, and 2.2 Ma for a sample from 2,602 m. Ages between 2.2 and 4 Ma are compatible with existing ages on subaerial shield-forming lavas on Koolau and Waianae volcano on Oahu, but ages of 5.7 and 6 Ma are about two million years older. Duplicate analyses gave concordant results and isochron ages have atmospheric 40Ar/36Ar initials. We, therefore, consider that these ages represent eruptive ages of samples. Current results suggest that tholeiitic volcanism forming Oahu Island continued almost 4 million years, which is far longer than ever considered. Considering the 8.7 cm/y of plate velocity, volcanism continued while Oahu Island moved 350 km

Review of and contribution to the Stratigraphy of the Cenozoic Igneous Rocks in the Republic of Yemen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Nakhal, H.A.

2002-01-01

In Yemen the Cenozoic igneous rocks consists of intrusive and extrusive rocks with interlayered sediments, all of which are included within the Manakha Group (latest Cretaceous-Holocene). This group is subdivided into the Haraz Formation which includes the latest Cretaceous-Tertiary volcanics and the interlayered sediments, the Aden Formation which includes the Late Tertiary-Holocene volcanics, and the Bura Formations are introduced here as new units. The Haraz Formation replaces the informal names: Trap Series, Yemen Volcanics and Aden Trap Series, Yemen Volcanics and Adan Trap Series.The Adan Formation are a readaptation of the term Aden Vocanic Series. A startotype for the Aden Formation is designated in the Shuqra-Ahwar area. (author)

Igneous rocks formed by hypervelocity impact

Science.gov (United States)

Osinski, Gordon R.; Grieve, Richard A. F.; Bleacher, Jacob E.; Neish, Catherine D.; Pilles, Eric A.; Tornabene, Livio L.

2018-03-01

Igneous rocks are the primary building blocks of planetary crusts. Most igneous rocks originate via decompression melting and/or wet melting of protolith lithologies within planetary interiors and their classification and compositional, petrographic, and textural characteristics, are well-studied. As our exploration of the Solar System continues, so too does the inventory of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks, settings, and processes. The results of planetary exploration have also clearly demonstrated that impact cratering is a ubiquitous geological process that has affected, and will continue to affect, all planetary objects with a solid surface, whether that be rock or ice. It is now recognized that the production of igneous rocks is a fundamental outcome of hypervelocity impact. The goal of this review is to provide an up-to-date synthesis of our knowledge and understanding of igneous rocks formed by hypervelocity impact. Following a brief overview of the basics of the impact process, we describe how and why melts are generated during impact events and how impact melting differs from endogenic igneous processes. While the process may differ, we show that the products of hypervelocity impact can share close similarities with volcanic and shallow intrusive igneous rocks of endogenic origin. Such impact melt rocks, as they are termed, can display lobate margins and cooling cracks, columnar joints and at the hand specimen and microscopic scale, such rocks can display mineral textures that are typical of volcanic rocks, such as quench crystallites, ophitic, porphyritic, as well as features such as vesicles, flow textures, and so on. Historically, these similarities led to the misidentification of some igneous rocks now known to be impact melt rocks as being of endogenic origin. This raises the question as to how to distinguish between an impact versus an endogenic origin for igneous-like rocks on other planetary bodies where fieldwork and sample analysis may not

Patterns of seismicity in a complex volcanic crisis at Brava, Cabo Verde

Science.gov (United States)

Faria, B. V. E.; Day, S. J.

2017-12-01

Brava is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago, with an area of 62.5 km2 and a population of 6000. Geologically recent volcanism on Brava has produced lava (including carbonatite) flows, phonolite lava domes, pyroclastic density current deposits, and many phreatomagmatic craters in central Brava (where most of the population lives). Recent geological studies indicate that last eruptive period is about 1000 years old. Brava has experienced recurrent seismic swarms and felt earthquakes. The first permanent seismic station was installed in 1999, and a small network in 2011. From then until 2015 the seismic rate was near constant with sporadic peaks. Most seismic events were located offshore and associated with submarine volcanoes. However, the pattern of activity has been very different since 25th September 2015, when a M4 earthquake occurred in the submarine slopes of Brava. Subsequently, the seismicity became very complex with frequent volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquake swarms beneath Brava itself, with a few offshore events in some months. In addition, long-period, hybrid and hydrothermal events and likely very weak volcanic tremor episodes have been recorded. These non-VT events support the hypothesis that magma emplacement beneath Brava is at the origin of the abnormal seismic activity. The VT swarms indicate deformation around the magma body and possible dike intrusions, and there are indications of perturbation of a shallow hydrothermal system. The largest swarm occurred on the 1st and 2nd August 2016, with almost 1000 shallow events, including a M3.7 VT earthquake, medium-frequency events and weak volcanic tremor. An alert for a possible eruption was issued and a village (about 300 people) was evacuated as a precaution. Distributions of the cumulative number of events with depth in the main swarms suggest that the hypocenters are becoming shallower with time. Thus a possible eruption in the near future cannot be ruled out.

The Archaen volcanic facies in the Migori segment, Nyanza greenstone belt, Kenya: stratigraphy, geochemistry and mineralisation

Science.gov (United States)

Ichang'l, D. W.; MacLean, W. H.

The Migori segment is an 80 by 20 km portion of the Nyanza greenstone belt which forms the northern part of the Archean Tanzanian Craton in western Kenya, northern Tanzania and southeastern Uganda. It consists of two volcanic centres, each with central, proximal and distal volcanic facies, comprising the Migori Group, the Macalder and Lolgorien Subgroups, and eleven volcano-sedimentary formations. The centres are separated by a basin of tuffs and greywacke turbidites. The volcanics are bimodal mafic basalt and dolerite ( Zr/Y = 3.8 - 6.5, La N/Yb N = 1.0 - 2.4) , and felsic calc-alkaline dacite-rhyolite ( Zr/Y = 10 - 21, La N/Yb N = 19 - 42 ) and high-K dacite ( Zr/Y = 9 - 16, La N/Yb N = 21 - 22 ). Felsic units form approximately three-fourths of the volcanic stratigraphy. Basalts, calc-alkaline dacites and rhyolites were deposited in a submarine environment, but the voluminous high-K dacites were erupted subaerially. The turbidites contain units of iron-formations. Granitic intrusions are chemically continuous with the high-K dacites. The felsic volcanics are anologous to those found at modern volcanic arc subduction settings involving continental crust. The Macalder ZnCuAuAg volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits is in central facies basalts-greywacke-rhyolite. Gold mineralisation occurs in proximal facies tuffs and iron formation, and in oblique and semi-conformable quartz veins. Greenstones in the Nyanza belt are dominated by calc-alkaline felsic volcanics in constrast to the komatiite-tholeiitic basalt volcanism in the Kaapvaal Craton of South Africa, and a mixture of the two types in the Zimbabwe Craton.

A REMAINING OPEN PALEOGEOGRAPHY OF PALEO-ASIAN OCEAN BY EARLY PERMIAN: PALEOMAGNETIC CONSTRAINTS FROM THE PERMIAN VOLCANIC ROCKS IN MIDDLE-EAST INNER MONGOLIA, NE CHINA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghai Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We report a paleomagnetic investigation on Permian volcanic rocks in the middle-east Inner Mongolia, NE China, aiming to puzzle out the timing and position of the final closure of the eastern Paleo-Asian ocean (PAO and further to better understand tectonic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB. Two pre-folding characteristic components are isolated from the Sanmianjing and Elitu formations (~283–266 Ma in the northern margin of the North China block (NMNCB and the Dashizhai Formation (~280 Ma in the Songliao-Xilinhot block (SXB, respectively.

Geochronology of Cenozoic rocks in the Bodie Hills, California and Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Fleck, Robert J.; du Bray, Edward A.; John, David A.; Vikre, Peter G.; Cosca, Michael A.; Snee, Lawrence W.; Box, Stephen E.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this report is to present geochronologic data for unaltered volcanic rocks, hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks, and mineral deposits of the Miocene Bodie Hills and Pliocene to Pleistocene Aurora volcanic fields of east-central California and west-central Nevada. Most of the data presented here were derived from samples collected between 2000–13, but some of the geochronologic data, compiled from a variety of sources, pertain to samples collected during prior investigations. New data presented here (tables 1 and 2; Appendixes 1–3) were acquired in three U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 40Ar/39Ar labs by three different geochronologists: Robert J. Fleck (Menlo Park, CA), Lawrence W. Snee (Denver, CO), and Michael A. Cosca (Denver, CO). Analytical methods and data derived from each of these labs are presented separately.

A submarine andesite-rhyodacite lineage of arc affinity hosting hydrothermal mineralisation, Pual Ridge, Eastern Manus back-arc basin, Papua New Guinea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binns, R.A.; Waters, J.C.; Parr, J.M.; Carr, G.R.; Whitford, D.J.

2000-01-01

Pual Ridge, host to the PACMANUS hydrothermal field, is a composite edifice formed by recent submarine eruptions, with a continuous suite of consanguineous andesite, dacite and rhyodacite (58 to 74% SiO 2 , mg 41 to 17). The lavas are vesicular, hyaline, and aphyric to sparsely porphyritic. Dacites dominate the PACMANUS hydrothermal field at the ridge crest. The Pual Ridge volcanic suite is subalkalic, with a calcic character, bordering on calcalkaline (Fig. 1). It falls just within the medium-K field, and has geochemical characteristics (K/Rb ∼500, K/Ba∼40, mild enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) ((La/Sm) N ∼1.7, (La/Yb) N ∼2.1) which fall into the spectrum of modern arc volcanic rock suites on New Britain to the south. By contrast, the basalts from the central Manus back-arc spreading zone are very low-K. When major and trace element data are plotted against silica contents in Harker diagrams, gently curved trends extend from andesite to rhyodacite. The trends can be interpreted in terms of low-pressure fractionation of the observed (albeit rare) phenocryst assemblage (plagioclase, ortho- and clinopyroxene, magnetite), with progressive enrichment of incompatible elements such as K, Ba, Zr and the REE. Basaltic andesites (mg 42-45) from features adjacent to Pual Ridge exhibit Ti and P contents falling below this fractionation trend, but trend towards a possible parent magma from which Pual Ridge andesites were derived by extraction of an olivine-dominated assemblage. Moderately potassic picritic basalts (mg 56) representing the potential parent magmas also occur on edifices east of Pual Ridge. Like the Pual lavas, these have low Nb (1-2 ppm) consistent with an arc affinity

Geology of the Mid-Miocene Rooster Comb Caldera and Lake Owyhee Volcanic Field, eastern Oregon: Silicic volcanism associated with Grande Ronde flood basalt

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Benson, Thomas R.; Mahood, Gail A.

2016-01-01

The Lake Owyhee Volcanic Field (LOVF) of eastern Oregon consists of rhyolitic caldera centers and lava fields contemporaneous with and spatially related to Mid-Miocene Columbia River flood basalt volcanism. Previous studies delineated two calderas in the southeastern part of LOVF near Owyhee Reservoir, the result of eruptions of two ignimbrites, the Tuff of Leslie Gulch and the Tuff of Spring Creek. Our new interpretation is that these two map units are differentially altered parts of a single ignimbrite produced in a major phreatomagmatic eruption at 15.8 Ma. Areas previously mapped as Tuff of Spring Creek are locations where the ignimbrite contains abundant clinoptilolite ± mordenite, which made it susceptible to erosion. The resistant intracaldera Tuff of Leslie Gulch has an alteration assemblage of albite ± quartz, indicative of low-temperature hydrothermal alteration. Our new mapping of caldera lake sediments and pre- and post-caldera rhyolitic lavas and intrusions that are chemically similar to intracaldera Tuff of Leslie Gulch point to a single 20 × 25 km caldera, which we name the Rooster Comb Caldera. Erosion of the resurgently uplifted southern half of the caldera created dramatic exposures of intracaldera Tuff of Leslie Gulch cut by post-caldera rhyolite dikes and intrusions that are the deeper-level equivalents of lava domes and flows that erupted into the caldera lake preserved in exposures to the northeast. The Rooster Comb Caldera has features in common with more southerly Mid-Miocene calderas of the McDermitt Volcanic Field and High Rock Caldera Complex, including formation in a basinal setting shortly after flood basalt eruptions ceased in the region, and forming on eruption of peralkaline ignimbrite. The volcanism at Rooster Comb Caldera postdates the main activity at McDermitt and High Rock, but, like it, begins 300 ky after flood basalt volcanism begins in the area, and while flood basalts don't erupt through the silicic focus, are

Soft Rock Yields Clues to Mars' Past

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1 This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the rock outcrop dubbed 'Clovis.' The rock was discovered to be softer than other rocks studied so far at Gusev Crater after the rover easily ground a hole into it with its rock abrasion tool. Spirit's solar panels can be seen in the foreground. This image was taken by the rover's navigation camera on sol 205 (July 31, 2004). Elemental Trio Found in 'Clovis' Figure 1 above shows that the interior of the rock dubbed 'Clovis' contains higher concentrations of sulfur, bromine and chlorine than basaltic, or volcanic, rocks studied so far at Gusev Crater. The data were taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer after the rover dug into Clovis with its rock abrasion tool. The findings might indicate that this rock was chemically altered, and that fluids once flowed through the rock depositing these elements.

ROCK GLACIERS IN THE KOLYMA HIGHLAND

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Galanin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Based on remote mapping and field studies inGrand Rapids, Tumansky,Hasynsky,Del-Urechen Ridges as well as Dukchinsky and Kilgansky Mountain Massifs there were identified about 1160 landforms which morphologically are similar to the rock glaciers or they develop in close association with them. Besides tongue-shaped cirque rock glaciers originated due to ablation, a large number of lobate-shaped slope-associated rock glaciers were recognized. Significant quantity of such forms are developing within the active neotectonic areas, in zones of seismic-tectonic badland and in association with active earthquakes-controlling faults. Multiplication of regional data on volcanic-ash-chronology, lichenometry, Schmidt Hammer Test, pollen spectra and single radiocarbon data, most of the active rock glaciers were preliminary attributed to the Late Holocene.

What threat do turbidity currents and submarine landslides pose to submarine telecommunications cable infrastructure?

Science.gov (United States)

Clare, Michael; Pope, Edward; Talling, Peter; Hunt, James; Carter, Lionel

2016-04-01

The global economy relies on uninterrupted usage of a network of telecommunication cables on the seafloor. These submarine cables carry ~99% of all trans-oceanic digital data and voice communications traffic worldwide, as they have far greater bandwidth than satellites. Over 9 million SWIFT banks transfers alone were made using these cables in 2004, totalling 7.4 trillion of transactions per day between 208 countries, which grew to 15 million SWIFT bank transactions last year. We outline the challenge of why, how often, and where seafloor cables are broken by natural causes; primarily subsea landslides and sediment flows (turbidity currents and also debris flows and hyperpycnal flows). These slides and flows can be very destructive. As an example, a sediment flow in 1929 travelled up to 19 m/s and broke 11 cables in the NE Atlantic, running out for ~800 km to the abyssal ocean. The 2006 Pingtung earthquake triggered a sediment flow that broke 22 cables offshore Taiwan over a distance of 450 km. Here, we present initial results from the first statistical analysis of a global database of cable breaks and causes. We first investigate the controls on frequency of submarine cable breaks in different environmental and geological settings worldwide. We assess which types of earthquake pose a significant threat to submarine cable networks. Meteorological events, such as hurricanes and typhoons, pose a significant threat to submarine cable networks, so we also discuss the potential impacts of future climate change on the frequency of such hazards. We then go on to ask what are the physical impacts of submarine sediment flows on submerged cables? A striking observation from past cable breaks is sometimes cables remain unbroken, whilst adjacent cables are severed (and record powerful flows travelling at up to 6 m/s). Why are some cables broken, but neighbouring cables remain intact? We provide some explanations for this question, and outline the need for future in

Influence of Anchoring on Burial Depth of Submarine Pipelines.

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Zhuang, Yuan; Li, Yang; Su, Wei

2016-01-01

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, there has been widespread construction of submarine oil-gas transmission pipelines due to an increase in offshore oil exploration. Vessel anchoring operations are causing more damage to submarine pipelines due to shipping transportation also increasing. Therefore, it is essential that the influence of anchoring on the required burial depth of submarine pipelines is determined. In this paper, mathematical models for ordinary anchoring and emergency anchoring have been established to derive an anchor impact energy equation for each condition. The required effective burial depth for submarine pipelines has then been calculated via an energy absorption equation for the protection layer covering the submarine pipelines. Finally, the results of the model calculation have been verified by accident case analysis, and the impact of the anchoring height, anchoring water depth and the anchor weight on the required burial depth of submarine pipelines has been further analyzed.

The Dalradian rocks of Scotland: an introduction

OpenAIRE

Stephenson, David; Mendum, John R.; Fettes, Douglas J.; Leslie, A. Graham

2013-01-01

The Dalradian Supergroup and its basement rocks, together with younger plutons, underpin most of the Grampian Highlands and the islands of the Inner Hebrides between the Highland Boundary and Great Glen faults. The Dalradian is a mid-Neoproterozoic to early-Ordovician sequence of largely clastic metasedimentary rocks, with some volcanic units, which were deformed and metamorphosed to varying degrees during the Early Palaeozoic Caledonian Orogeny. Sedimentation of the lower parts of the Da...

Geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotopic characteristics of volcanic rocks from the Okinawa Trough: Implications for the influence of subduction components and the contamination of crustal materials

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Kun; Zhai, Shikui; Yu, Zenghui; Wang, Shujie; Zhang, Xia; Wang, Xiaoyuan

2018-04-01

The Okinawa Trough is an infant back-arc basin developed along the Ryukyu arc. This paper provides new major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotope data of volcanic rocks in the Okinawa Trough and combines the published geochemical data to discuss the composition of magma source, the influence of subduction component, and the contamination of crustal materials, and calculate the contribution between subduction sediment and altered oceanic crust in the subduction component. The results showed that there are 97% DM and 3% EMI component in the mantle source in middle trough (MS), which have been influenced by subduction sediment. The Li-Nd isotopes indicate that the contribution of subduction sediment and altered oceanic crust in subduction component are 4 and 96%, respectively. The intermediate-acidic rocks suffer from contamination of continental crust material in shallow magma chamber during fractional crystallization. The acidic rocks in south trough have experienced more contamination of crustal material than those from the middle and north trough segments.

U-Th-Pb zircon geochronology on igneous rocks in the Toija and Salittu Formations, Orijärvi area, southwestern Finland: constraints on the age of volcanism and metamorphism

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Christopher L. Kirkland

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Zircons from a felsic volcanic rock in the Toija Formation and a synvolcanic gabbro intrusion in the Salittu Formation within the Orijärvi area were dated by U-Th-Pb SIMS in order to provide depositional constraints on these formations. Zircon crystals from the felsic rock preserve a two-stage crystallisation history with zoned core domains and homogeneous rim domains. Inner domains yield a 1878±4 Ma concordia age, interpreted to determine the crystallisation of this rock. Rims yield a 1815±3 Ma concordia age interpretedto determine the regional metamorphism. Small rounded zircon grains from the Salittu gabbro, located within the Jyly shear zone, yield a concordia age of 1792±5 Ma. We interpret the grain textures to suggest that they recrystallised from inherited zircon seeds during the heat and fluid flow into the shear zone. Although no direct ages for the Salittu Formation have been recovered, field relationships imply that it was deposited between 1878−1875 Ma.

Greated era of volcanic front in Middle Kyushu and Western Chugoku districts

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Kamata, Hirotake; Hoshizumi, Hideo; Koyaguchi, Takehiro

1987-10-01

Purpose of this study was to determine the era when the creation of the volcanos commenced which were extending from north-east to south west, by using the K-Ar age of volcanic rocks which were continuously distributed from middle Kyushu to San-in district and which were mainly composed of amphibole andesite. By comparing with geological map, relation with the stratigraphic order of layers at Yabakei, Himejima and Aono were considered. It was concluded that, in every place, the vocanic activities commenced much later era than creation of basement rock. It was also recognized that, by studying the relation with Phillipine Plate, deep earthquake was related with the volcanic front of south west Japan arc. (8 figs, 2 tabs, 14 refs)

U-Pb zircon geochronology of Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous extension-related silicic volcanism in the northern New England Fold Belt

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Bryan, S.E.; Holcombe, R.J.; Fielding, C.R.; Allen, C.M.

2004-01-01

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of zircons confirm a Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous age (ca 360-350 Ma) for silicic volcanic rocks of the Campwyn Volcanics and Yarrol terrane of the northern New England Fold Belt (Queensland). These rocks are coeval with silicic volcanism recorded elsewhere in the fold belt at this time (Connors Arch, Drummond Basin). The new U-Pb zircon ages, in combination with those from previous studies, show that silicic magmatism was both widespread across the northern New England Fold Belt (>250 000 km 2 and >500 km inboard of plate margin) and protracted, occurring over a period of -15 million years. Zircon inheritance is commonplace in the Late Devonian - Early Carboniferous volcanics, reflecting anatectic melting and considerable reworking of continental crust. Inherited zircon components range from ca 370 to ca 2050 Ma, with Middle Devonian (385-370 Ma) zircons being common to almost all dated units. Precambrian zircon components record either Precambrian crystalline crust or sedimentary accumulations that were present above or within the zone of magma formation This contrasts with a lack of significant zircon inheritance in younger Permo-Carboniferous igneous rocks intruded through,and emplaced on top of, the Devonian-Carboniferous successions. The inheritance data and location of these volcanic rocks at the eastern margins of the northern New England Fold Belt, coupled with Sr-Nd, Pb isotopic data and depleted mantle model ages for Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic magmatism, imply that Precambrian mafic and felsic crustal materials (potentially as old as 2050 Ma), or at the very least Lower Palaeozoic rocks derived from the reworking of Precambrian rocks, comprise basement to the eastern parts of the fold belt. This crustal basement architecture may be a relict from the Late Proterozoic breakup of the Rodinian supercontinent. Copyright (2004) Geological Society of Australia

Review on geological character and exploration methods of Daqiaowu volcanic-type uranium deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Jiangwei

2009-01-01

Through a new round of exploration work from 2006 to 2008 on exploration practice and studies, it is suggested that ore host rock in Daqiaowu volcanic rock-type uranium deposit is volcanic breccias which can be classified into two types, one is cryptoexplosion breccias of vent facies,the other is lens-like breccias of crater facies controlled by interlayer structure. Main ore-controlling structure is NW-trending faults, uranium ore bodies in all the mineralized belts of the deposit are mainly NW-trending. The layout of exploration projects in reconnaissance stage should be with flexible principles, so that project arrangement can be adjusted timely with the deepening and changes of geological understanding. (authors)

Electromagnetic exploration in high-salinity groundwater zones: case studies from volcanic and soft sedimentary sites in coastal Japan

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Suzuki, Koichi; Kusano, Yukiko; Ochi, Ryota; Nishiyama, Nariaki; Tokunaga, Tomochika; Tanaka, Kazuhiro

2017-01-01

Estimating the spatial distribution of groundwater salinity in coastal plain regions is becoming increasingly important for site characterisation and the prediction of hydrogeological environmental conditions resulting from radioactive waste disposal and underground CO2 storage. In previous studies of the freshwater-saltwater interface, electromagnetic methods were used for sites characterised by unconsolidated deposits or Neocene soft sedimentary rocks. However, investigating the freshwater-saltwater interface in hard rock sites (e.g. igneous areas) is more complex, with the permeability of the rocks greatly influenced by fractures. In this study, we investigated the distribution of high-salinity groundwater at two volcanic rock sites and one sedimentary rock site, each characterised by different hydrogeological features. Our investigations included (1) applying the controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) method and (2) conducting laboratory tests to measure the electrical properties of rock core samples. We interpreted the 2D resistivity sections by referring to previous data on geology and geochemistry of groundwater. At the Tokusa site, an area of inland volcanic rocks, low resistivity zones were detected along a fault running through volcanic rocks and shallow sediments. The results suggest that fluids rise through the Tokusa-Jifuku Fault to penetrate shallow sediments in a direction parallel to the river, and some fluids are diluted by rainwater. At the Oki site, a volcanic island on a continental shelf, four resistivity zones (in upward succession: low, high, low and high) were detected. The results suggest that these four zones were formed during a transgression-regression cycle caused by the last glacial period. At the Saijo site, located on a coastal plain composed of thick sediments, we observed a deep low resistivity zone, indicative of fossil seawater remnant from a transgression after the last glacial period. The current coastal

Geology and Geochemistry of Magmatic Rocks from the Southern Part of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge in the Philippine Sea

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Lelikov, E. P.; Sedin, V. T.; Pugachev, A. A.

2018-03-01

The paper reports the results of a geochemical study of volcanogenic rocks from the southern part of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. Volcanic structures, such as plateaulike rises, mountain massifs, and single volcanoes, are the major relief-forming elements of the southern part of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. They are divided into three types according to the features of the relief and geological structure: shield, cone-shaped, and dome-shaped volcanoes. The ridge was formed on oceanic crust in the Late Mesozoic and underwent several stages of evolution with different significance and application of forces (tension and compression). Change in the geodynamic conditions during the geological evolution of the ridge mostly determined the composition of volcanic rocks of deep-mantle nature. Most of the ridge was formed by the Early Paleogene under geodynamic conditions close to the formation of oceanic islands (shield volcanoes) under tension. The island arc formed on the oceanic basement in the compression mode in the Late Eocene-Early Oligocene. Dome-shaped volcanic edifices composed of alkaline volcanic rocks were formed in the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene under tension. Based on the new geochemical data, detailed characteristics of volcanic rocks making up the shield, cone-shape, and dome-shape stratovolcanoes resulting in the features of these volcanic edifices are given for the first time. Continuous volcanism (with an age from the Cretaceous to the Late Miocene and composition from oceanic tholeiite to calc-alkaline volcanites of the island arc type) resulting in growth of the Earth's crust beneath the Kyushu-Palau Ridge was the major factor in the formation this ridge.

129I in volcanic fluids: Testing for the presence of marine sediments in the Central American volcanic arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snyder, Glen; Fehn, Udo

2000-01-01

The long half-life and the geochemical behavior of the 129 I system suggest that this cosmogenic radioisotope can contribute significantly to the understanding of processes associated with subduction zones and volcanic arc systems. Because iodine is not incorporated into igneous rocks, the age-signal associated with 129 I permits the determination of the origin of volatiles within arc volcanic systems. We report here results of a study to test the application of 129 I in fluids collected from hotsprings, crater lakes, fumaroles and geothermal wells from the Central American volcanic arc. Both the Momotombo geothermal field in Nicaragua and the Miravalles geothermal field in Costa Rica show 129 I/I ratios consistent with magmatic contributions from subducted marine pelagic sediments (minimum iodine ages of 25-30 Ma). In addition, several wells provide iodine isotopic ratios indicative of an older end-member, presumably located in the shallow crust (minimum iodine age = 65 Ma)